Of Sugar and Sulphur
by Mariel Nightstalker
Summary: Sequel to Of Demons. Harry's 3rd and 4th years at Hogwarts. SLASH OMC/Harry
1. Chapter 1

Hi guys! This is the sequel for Of Demons and Girls with too Many Cats, so if you are new to my stuff you should probably read that one first or you'll have no idea what's going on since I hate canon and therefore do not make very many references to it. I update almost every day, with a few rare exceptions, so don't worry about updates. If its been a week or so without an update, check my profile for any vacation notices. Review with any feedback you want. Flame me and I'll block you.

OF SUGAR AND SULPHUR

CHAPTER 1

On a plane of frozen land rests a castle, its turrets coated with green-brown ice, the wind making ethereal music as it whistles past the frosted windows. All around for miles on end was the deadly beauty of the Ice Queen, and her presence hushed the students of Durmstrang into respectful silence.

Or at least, it quieted _most _of the students. "JOHANN!" A young voice suddenly bellowed, the force of the sound waves shattering a good 4 inches of ice off of any surface within a four-mile radius.

"WHAT?!" Came the shouted answer. Headmaster Karkaroff cringed in his office as several large segments of ice unloaded themselves onto his cluttered desk. "I don't care how much their mother donates to the school, much more of this and I'll have a heart attack or worse…" He muttered, slumping further in his chair so that only the top of his head was visible above the desk. Seizing his cloak he pulled it down over his ears in a desperate attempt to block out the banes of his existence's latest high-volume squabble.

Allowing the Lestrange twins Georg and Johann to attend his school had been the biggest mistake of his life, and they had just turned 16 so he had a few years yet to endure before he could safely boot them out under the pretense of graduation. The second largest mistake had been letting their clearly equally insane parents become the sole financial support of the school, and his personal accounts as well. He would be doomed, and penniless, if he dared to even chastise her boys since they'd probably just tattle on him anyway. The shouting was getting closer, and he nearly started whimpering when he heard impetuous footsteps running down the hall to his door. Sliding off his chair and curling into a ball under his desk he reflected that he'd never been nearly this terrified of the Dark Lord in the pinnacle of his fury, and began to mourn how the times had changed. His door was thrown open, the doorknob smashing a hole in his wall with the force it had been flung against what he had once considered unshakable granite.

Two pairs of long legs came into view from his vantage point on the carpet, and he shuddered when he realized he was within kicking distance. His foot bumped a vase resting next to his desk, and a hollow chime came out of the jade.

"Ah-ha! Methinks, dear brother, that the headmaster be cowering beneath yonder desk like a dog in his vomit." Georg had adopted a poetic manner of speech, and Igor could see that he had struck some kind of pose.

"Lo, thou speakest truth, my lord! Only, this worm smells far fouler than any dog, with or without vomit."

"Spoken with the grace only honesty can create." Abruptly the tapestry draped over his desk was yanked off, revealing him in all of his glory.

"Johann, Georg." He reluctantly acknowledged. Identical grins that couldn't be found anywhere else on earth except maybe on a shark about to feed greeted him. He swallowed.

---------

Seated on his trunk in the middle of the Muggle train station, Harry fidgeted nervously with his hands while waiting for his guardian to show up. He had already read everything in his book bag and really didn't feel like untying the enormous amount of twine on his trunk to get some more reading material. This left him with people watching.

The young woman struggling to keep her bratty toddler under control made him want to screech 'just spank the kid already!' but since most people considered corporeal punishment to be inhumane and abusive, he kept his mouth shut. She was purchasing a tabloid from the newspaper stand and he lost interest, eyes fastening on a group of Muggle schoolchildren about his age crowded around the windows of a small candy shop, chattering excitedly about what they wanted to buy before heading home. Smiling as he remembered his friends doing something similar when the food cart had come around, he picked absently at his nails. Feeling a sharp pang, he looked down and saw that he had accidentally torn one of his cuticles clear out and a few drops of blood were already surfacing. Sighing, he removed a bit of gauze from his bag after much digging (he _really _needed to find some way to organize himself) and tied it about his wounded ligament.

"Come _on._" He mumbled when he realized that he'd been sitting there doing nothing waiting for almost two hours. Just as he was getting up to go find something more interesting to occupy his time, a white blur came flying at him. Raising his hands to protect his face automatically, he didn't see what it was at first until soft fur brushed the underside of his chin lovingly. "A-Asmodeus?" He whispered, hesitantly lowering his hands, praying that he wasn't dreaming. His only reply was a throaty purr and more insistent stroking under his chin. Running his hands through the fur, he grinned as he re-familiarized himself with the feline lines of muscle that made up his boyfriend's body.

"Ah. I see your cat hasn't changed too much." Bronislav stated, coming out of nowhere. He smiled at Harry and maneuvered himself around the protectively hissing cat to kiss Harry's forehead affectionately. He was rewarded with a smile and an apology for his cat's behavior.

"The car is this way. Here, let me get your trunk. God knows those arms of your's would probably snap if you carried it."

"Hey!" Harry cried in mock-indignation, knowing that his guardian was probably right. He was officially beyond being upset about anything.

----

He knew there were words coming out of her mouth, and her hands were moving animatedly so it had to be important, but Albus just couldn't force himself to pay attention to Maggie's lies at the moment. What occupied his attention was how he could possibly get rid of her without Minerva castrating him, since she had taken quite a liking to the younger woman after he'd made the mistake of sending them on a mission together. Minerva had been on edge for months during some spat with Severus and had only recently lowered her blazing temper to a dull simmer. He had no desire to unleash her hormonal hurricane upon himself by removing someone she thought well of, but Maggie was slowing down his assassination of James Potter. He needed the man killed before he met his son, dammit! Sighing, he took a sip of his tea, grimaced, and added three extra sugars.

Tuning in to what she was saying, he realized she was detailing a summer vacation to Haiti she'd taken with her father at the age of seven. He suddenly felt the incredible urge to bash his head repeatedly on his desk, but managed to restrain himself.

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End chapter 1

Okay, review so I can know that you guys found this okay 


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Walking down the cracked walkway to the house, he noticed minute details had been replaced. The shutters looked new instead of cracked with paint peeling off of them, and the steps to the porch were no longer sagging with rot, but sturdy beneath his boots. Not that he weighed enough for them to creak, though. Raito brushed past his leg on his way up and he smiled at the brief contact. Moving a little faster, he lied and said he was tired when Vladimir asked him where he was going, and managed to escape into his room. Snapping his wrist in a series of movements, his trunk opened itself and invisible hands began organizing his clothes into the closet and chest of drawers. Looking around, he saw Asmodeus had made himself comfortable on the bed, yellow eyes watching him in amusement as he orchestrated a task that would have taken him days if he'd done it physically. Shutting the door after banishing his empty trunk to the attic for storage, he made a running leap to the bed and Asmodeus transformed just in time for Harry to land on his lap in a laughing heap. "So, how long can you stay this time?"

"I am on leave unless there is an emergency, so I can stay an entire two weeks without having to report back or anything." He kissed the top of Harry's head, making him hum in happiness. He tilted his head up and was about to kiss him when he heard Bronislav knock on his bedroom door. Sighing, he cuddled 'Raito' to him once he'd transformed back into a cat and called, "Come in!"

The doctor entered, followed by a fidgeting Vladimir. Harry blinked when he noticed a red-brown sheen coming off of the older of his guardians when he stepped into a patch of sunlight provided by one of his windows. "Harry, the school sends reports of how a student is doing, and notices of any extra bills in case a student requires medical assistance from the staff there, and um…there was a letter that arrived a while ago we were meaning to ask you about." Broni's brown eyes were large with concern and Harry could see his hands trembling just slightly.

"Is this about my unknown illness I contracted over the winter?" He made sure to keep his voice childish and his eyes innocent to avoid an in-depth questioning. From his body-language books he'd learned that looking innocent could prevent people from digging as much as they would if you'd shown any sign of nervousness.

"Yeah, actually. Do you feel any, uh, different?"

"No more than usual." Harry lied, making sure that his memories of the various changes in his eyesight and the fact that he now had to tone down his magic every time he cast a spell with his wand.

"Oh, well that's alright then. Did you have anything in particular you wanted to eat for dinner?"

"Nope. Everything you guys make tastes great so my only request is lots of it." He grinned and Vladimir smiled back. Bronislav, however, had walked closer and tilted Harry's up to the light so he could get a better look at his hollowed cheeks, papery skin, and unnaturally bright eyes ringed with black circles darker than should be possible for a child. "Have you been sleeping alright, Harry? No nightmares, I hope?"

"Nightmares? No, none of those, and I slept more than I should have the last year. If you're wondering about the dark circles, I don't know why I have them. I sleep at night, and go to classes during the day just like everyone else at my school."

"Hm. Have you been eating enough?"

That question made him pause, since he didn't know whether his emancipated state had been recorded by madam Pomfrey. Casting about for some hint, his eyes landed on 'Raito' and his eyes pleaded for answers. The Demon shook his head just slightly and Harry returned his attention to his guardian. "I'm sorry, I spaced out for a second there."

"It's okay, I asked if you were eating enough."

"Oh, yeah. The food there is great. Do either of you guys know why House Elves can make food taste better than Human cooks?"

"Um, I'm not sure. We could look it up if you're interested in studying House Elves."

"Okay. Don't worry about me, guys, I'm doing just fine. It's just puberty knocking a little earlier than I'd like." They blinked at him and he realized that he'd morphed into his usual mature persona. They may have known he was smarter than most children, but it didn't mean they needed to know his emotional maturity was more advanced as well.

"I'll be down stairs making dinner, Harry." Vladimir said abruptly, breaking the awkward silence effortlessly. "I'll help you with that." Bronislav was about to leave when he added, "Harry, please don't go too far into the woods by yourself at night, alright?"

He nodded to show he'd heard, already settling back onto his bed beside his Demon. Once the door slid shut and their footsteps disappeared downstairs Asmodeus shifted into his human-like form, arms immediately making themselves at home around Harry's tiny hips. He then fell fast asleep. Harry took one look at him, sighed, and shifted himself into a comfortable position before summoning a book on Hitler's regime.

-----

Slipping silently inside, Luna headed to her father's office to make sure he had remembered to eat something for dinner. Peeking inside, she saw him snoring into his stack of parchment, ink stains covering the exposed side of his face. Grinning, she grabbed him under his armpits and used a lightening charm via wandless magic to help her lift him onto the ratty sofa wedged between a cabinet and their peeling wallpaper. Pulling a quilt out of a chest under the wardrobe by the door, she laid it over him to prevent him from getting a chill. Daughterly duties accomplished, she entered their kitchen and found some carrots to eat, since she wasn't particularly in the mood to make anything complicated. Repairing the snapped boards in the stairs, she climbed them and entered her room, sprawling on her bed without looking. Apparently she should have, since she had landed on something, or rather someone, unexpected. There was a startled cry, and an arm snapped out to smack her upside the head. Leaping back, she saw that her uninvited guest was the nice surgeon she'd met last year. "Raphael, what are you doing here?" She asked, finding herself smiling at him. His clothing was wrinkled and he looked disoriented, pale eyes looking around blearily before settling on her. "Hello, Luna." He acknowledged, voice vague with sleep. She rolled her eyes and settled down on the bed beside him and dug into her trunk that had floated up behind her for some Scotch. Retrieving it, she offered the bottle to him first politely. He smiled and unscrewed the top to take a sip. Handing it to her, he lay on his back, eyes tracing the dust motes created by the setting sun's rays filtering through the large window facing west.

Reclining on her elbows, she made no move to engage him in conversation, having learned to appreciate the peace silence can provide. She put the bottle away since it would make her sleepy and angled her head to examine the way his hair blended effortlessly with hers, almost no difference in color or texture existing. Her smile remained in place until she relaxed her arms and fell asleep, surrounded by the scent of paradise's flowers.

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End chapter 2

Thank you to all of you who bothered to read this and reviewed to let me know I haven't lost any followers.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Four days of bliss had passed, and Harry was lying beside Asmodeus on the forest floor not too far from the house but far enough for him to take on a human-esque form. Tearing his eyes from the endless blue sky framed by moss-covered trees, he found Asmodeus already looking at him. He smiled as he pressed a chaste kiss on the Demon's mouth, eyelids fluttering slightly, causing his eyelashes to brush against Asmodeus' cheek. He laughed breathily, the eyelashes tickling him ever so softly.

Slinging an arm around Harry, he pulled them close so the safe distance they had established between them as the start was now gone completely. Sighing against him, Harry forgot about where they were and gave himself completely in to the sensations. Feeling adventurous, he caught his lip between his teeth and nibbled gently being careful not to bite too hard. Asmodeus grinned and tugged playfully at Harry's hair before smoothing it and curling his fingers at the base of his neck. The warmth of his hands was both calming and exciting at the same time, creating a strange kind of hazy energy that seemed to permeate everything around and inside them. He purred at the sensations and felt Asmodeus shudder in turn and something firm press into his stomach. Before he knew what was happening his shirt had been pulled over his head and a hot mouth had descended on his collar bone. Feeling his breath shortening-_it felt so damn good-_he gripped his hair to show that he liked it and allowed himself to release a moan that had been stuck in his throat.

Suddenly Asmodeus pulled back as if he'd been electrocuted. Blearily opening his eyes and wincing as sunlight hit them, he looked over at his boyfriend to see what was wrong. Before he could open his mouth to ask what was going on, he heard him whisper, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let it go that far…" His eyes were fixed on some distant point and Harry felt himself grow oddly irritated that he wouldn't even look at him.

"Why are you apologizing? Nothing happened. So we went a little further than usual, so what? I _am _growing older, you know."

"That doesn't make you any less of a child, Harry, and taking advantage of you like that was wrong of me. Will you accept the apology or continue to argue like a spoiled little kid?"

"Oh, that was uncalled for!" Harry leapt to his feet, seized his shirt, and tugged it on as he stalked off back to the house. He knew he was being immature, but didn't care at the moment.

Alone in the woods, Asmodeus stared after him and wondered if it was something he had said.

----------

The next day it rained from sunrise to sundown, and Harry sat by himself on the porch watching the water drip off the roof and onto the soaked grass and pavement mixture that made up the yard. He hadn't seen Asmodeus since yesterday afternoon, and had found himself increasingly upset about their fight. Why had he overreacted so much? Why couldn't he have just asked Asmodeus to tell him what was really bothering him?

So much for a peaceful 2 weeks together without interruption for once.

Drawing his knees up, he rested his chin on them and wrapped his arms around his calves to keep them up. He didn't know how long he'd been there when a twig snapped in the woods and his neck turned to see what it was. The moon had risen, crescent shaped and luminous, and its rays allowed him to see a dim silhouette standing in the shadow of a mossy oak. Whoever it was had short hair and was shorter and stockier than Asmodeus or either of his guardians. He mentally debated going inside versus staying out and seeing who it was.

Deciding to stay out, he squinted just slightly and saw the figure move from one tree to the other stealthily and silently. They didn't seem to have noticed Harry yet as they stepped out into the open and began walking towards the house. He supposed he must be hidden by the shadow of the pillar he was huddled against, and couldn't resist smirking deviously when he thought of the scare the man would get when he noticed him watching him. Reaching for the knife he always kept strapped to his ankle should he run into a violent-intentioned Muggle, he kept his hand on it as the figure came right up to the steps.

He had apparently caught sight of Harry since he suddenly gave a scream that would make a 7-year-old girl proud and stumbled back several steps. Calmly standing up, Harry greeted him, "Good evening, stranger."

"Who-who are you?" A more masculine voice than before asked from his vantage point sprawled on his back on the grass. Coming closer after making sure that he was prepared for any sudden moves, he answered, "I think that is mine question, actually."

-----

End chapter 3

Hope you liked it. The fight was painful for me, but they can't have a perfect relationship as much as I want them to 

Love you all!!


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

"Okay, okay. Just, calm down, kid."

"I am calm. You're the one with the palpitating heart beat and irregular breathing. That's right; I can hear it going faster and faster. Maybe it'll explode inside your chest, maybe you will vomit it out. I don't know…it's your heart after all."

The stranger didn't look as freaked out as most Muggles would be after hearing that, brown eyes remaining un-dilated throughout his miniature 'welcome' speech.

"My name is Tom. I'm your neighbor and I came to visit. What's so illegal about that?"

Harry quirked an eyebrow. "Do you normally visit in the middle of the night?"

"I'm an insomniac, cut me some slack here! I don't mean you or anybody else any harm."

"Well then you should have no problem telling me why you were snooping around in the woods, unless you have an aversion to moonlight I can't see a logical reason for such behavior." Before Tom could answer, the porch light flickered on and Bronislav stepped outside, hands gripping an ancient-looking shotgun. Vladimir was a few inches behind him with a cast-iron frying pan in his.

"Harry, what's going on?" He called, descending the steps at a rapid but dignified pace with his brother hot on his heels.

"Our neighbor came to visit." Harry replied, eyes never leaving Tom's. In the glow provided by the porch light, he could see well-groomed hair, healthy skin, and a slight hint of musculature under the stranger's simple shirt.

"Oh, hello Tom." Bronislav greeted, lowering his weapon of choice. When his brother failed to do the same, he discretely stomped on his foot, eliciting a hissed 'ow'. Vladimir did assume a friendlier stance after a moment of silent glaring though. Harry, sensing their antics, allowed himself to grin. It must have looked more menacing than he had intended because Tom's breath hitched just slightly.

"Why don't you get up off the nasty grass and come inside for some nice tea, hm?" Bronislav suggested to the blank silence before heading back to the house, leaving Vladimir to snarl momentarily to a nervous Tom. Harry continued eye contact for several moments until he knew he had made their neighbor sufficiently cowed and then skipped blithely up the steps and inside to the welcoming warmth of the kitchen. He was followed by his other guardian and their guest.

-------

Entering his bedroom several hours later, at approximately 4 in the morning, he found Asmodeus pacing back and forth. He stopped when Harry came in and immediately launched in to a rushed apology.

"Harry, I don't know what came over me and I really shouldn't have said those things since you are far more than some insignificant brat and I love you so much and I miss you and I hate myself for making you upset and I-"

"Shh." He had wrapped his arms around the Demon's waist and buried his face in his stomach, remembering how much he loved the way Asmodeus smelled all over again. "I shouldn't have gotten so upset over anything. Yeah, you were kind of rude, but I should have asked what was going on instead of running away like a little kid." He grinned against his stomach, seeing the humor in their little spat.

"So…am I forgiven?"

"Yep." He inhaled deeply and mumbled, "Time to go to sleepy-sleep."

"'Kay." He wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders, bringing one hand up to gently stroke his mass of black curls before sliding them down to seize him by the waist. Setting the drowsy boy on the bed, he removed both of their pairs of shoes and set them by the closet. Harry had laid down in his absence and curled his legs slightly for warmth. Laughing quietly, he lay beside him and pulled some blankets over the both of them. Sure that he wasn't gripping too tight, he gave Harry a little squeeze and settled down with his arms wrapped loosely around an already dead to the world brunette.

--------

Tom stumbled into his house, exhausted. He had been intending to kill off hiss increasingly invasive neighbors, especially the younger one who knew far too much, but had been thwarted by a mere imp of a child! His eyes blazed despite their red and aching state as he stumbled upstairs to his bedroom, and new plots against his neighbors came to mind even as he collapsed on his sheets.

A smile tugged at tired lips even as he drifted off into a deep sleep.

------

Having flooed to the Dark Lord's residence, which really wasn't as menacing as it should have been Severus thought, he was momentarily confused when his ears weren't immediately blasted by an onset of complaints from his finicky master. Looking around, he saw neither hide nor hair of the Dark Whiner. Shrugging, he set up his cauldron, lighted a fire underneath and spelled it hotter until the flames were a mix of yellow and purple, which was very difficult to achieve and only taught to Potion enthusiasts committed to getting a Master's in the art.

His latest variation on the Revitalizing Potion completed several hours later, he corked it and packed up, glancing up when he heard the sound of bare feet padding on the wood floorboards. Tom came stumbling in, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Looking up he jumped when he saw Severus smirking at him.

"What the Hell?!" he shrieked in a very non-freaky-dark-lord way. "Snape, how many times have I told you to stop being so damn creepy?"

"More times than I care to remember. I've made the potion, and I expect you to drink it before it goes stale." He made to enter the fireplace and Tom called, "Where are you going?"

"Back to Hogwarts before I'm missed. Is there a problem?"

"No. Well, sort of."

"What do you mean you have a sort of problem?" His arms were folded across his chest now and his narrow-eyed gaze made Tom feel uncomfortably like their roles had been switched. Drawing himself up in a semblance of authority, he relayed the information that his despicable neighbor had weaseled out of him. He had planned to keep his magical ability secret, along with his status as a darker than usual one, but this infidel had somehow managed to make him confess this without him realizing it for a full two days.

"Why isn't he dead yet, then?" Snape snapped, eyes still bearing down on him with all the fury of a dragon. Tom gave up trying to assert himself and openly quailed. "Well, you see, last night I tried and-"

"And what? You failed, obviously. Alert me when the situation changes. Now drink the damned potion before I stuff it down your throat!"

"Yes, sir." Tom acquiesced meekly, fingers picking up the potion and uncorking it before he swallowed it in one swig. The after taste burned and made his throat feel like he had inhaled glass instead of liquid. He coughed violently and felt Snape's strong hand slap his back viciously and a welcome glass of water pressed into his own. When he swallowed it and opened his mouth to thank him, Snape was gone. How he apparatated without making noise was still beyond him.

He smiled and set the glass down on his table before settling on his couch for another nap.

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End chapter 4

I expect reviews, dammit!


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Opening his bedroom door a crack, a grey eye peeked out and looked around before easing the door open just a little farther. When no knives or spells imbedded themselves in his skull, he deemed it safe to venture out. Sock-clad feet silently carried him through the house until he reached the wing dedicated to his mother. His lengthening blond hair swung about as he checked the coast once more in preparation to knock on the door. His knuckles made contact with the dark wood of her door and it swung open almost immediately, revealing Chardai's friendly but wrinkled face. "Come in, child. Quickly, now!" Her hands shooed him inside and he smiled brightly at her, briefly hugging her thick waist before crossing the room to his mother where she was elegantly lounging on her chaise lounge, sipping tea and reading some kind of cheap romance novel.

Hearing him approach, Narcissa put away her book and reached out her arms for him. Draco rushed forward and settled himself beside her on the sofa, contentedly resting his head on her shoulder. She may have been a little on the crazy side since his sister's murder, but she was still his mum. After several minutes of peaceful during which her fingers combed steadily through his hair and he began to feel drowsy, there was another timid knock on the door. Chardai stood from her rocking chair and opened the door to reveal Sophie in her favorite blue nightdress with the purple flowers and little birds on it, sucking nervously on her thumb. She grinned when she saw Chardai and removed her thumb from her mouth long enough to plant a sloppy kiss on her cheek when the nurse knelt down to lift her dainty 7-year-old self off of the Persian carpet. Setting her in Narcissa's lap, Chardai excused herself to summon a House Elf for more tea. Sophie's cheeks dimpled as she giggled at her mommy who had begun to tickle her ribs with the tips of her manicured nails.

Draco drifted off to the sound of his mother teaching his younger sister a new song to hum, feeling perfectly at peace and wishing that every night was like this.

----- (I was neglecting the Malfoys, and I missed them!)

The radio was old and the sound quality wasn't very good, making the words of come unknown ballad garble and become nonsense but Harry couldn't bring himself to mind. His dad had come to visit him after Harry had owled him with his address and was chatting peaceably with his guardians in the kitchen. Harry had elected to lay on his back on their threadbare carpet with 'Raito' nestled to his side, basking in the ray of powerful sunlight provided by a skylight (it was just a hole in the ceiling, really, from a rather amusing incident in which Harry had made the mistake of giving Vladimir caffeine) while their ancient radio sputtered notes and words, with static as a sort of sound base.

Sirius's face suddenly appeared in his range of vision and Harry blinked, not quite comprehending the source of the shadow blocking his sun bath. Recognizing him, he smiled innocently, thin fingers absently petting a drowsy 'Raito'.

"That's a nice cat you've got, Harry. What's his name?" He was obviously trying to make conversation so Harry obliged him.

"His name is Raito, and I found him in a alley 6 pr 7 years ago. Do you like cats?"

"They're alright. I'm a bit more partial to dogs, really, but cats don't bother me too much." Ironically, 'Raito' chose that moment to wake up and hiss menacingly at him, incisors bared. Sirius yelped and laughed nervously afterwards.

"Ha-ha, I, um, wasn't expecting that, yeah. Um, what?"

"What do you mean what?" Harry was confused. He hadn't said anything, had he?

"I mean, like, what were we talking about?"

"Uh, cats…?" Harry ventured, wondering why he always got the weird ones.

"Right! Cats, that's right. So, you like cats or just this one?"

"Oh, I love cats. They seem to love me too, actually. Are you an animagus?"

"Um, why do you ask?" From the nervous look in his eyes Harry deduced he was one, and most likely was not registered.

"I won't tell anyone, I promise, and I won't care if it isn't legal." He smiled endearingly and Sirius melted. He sat down beside Harry's reclining form and answered, "I've been an animagus for years, but I never had a chance to get registered. My form is a large black dog."

"Kind of like a Grim or more like a black version of a sheep dog?"

"A lot like a Grim, now that I think about it. It explains the freaked-out looks Wizards always give me when they see me in it." Harry laughed, unable to help himself when his mind was assaulted with mental images.

"Heh, poor you." His smile made his whole face glow and Sirius stared, mesmerized, until he felt sharp teeth clamp onto his hand where it supported him on the carpet. He yelped, ruining the moment, and clutched his hand to his chest protectively before daring to look at it. 6 little holes were white for a second before blood began to ooze out. With a yelp, he rushed off to the bathroom to clean the cuts, still managing to shoot Raito a glare. When he was gone Raito smirked as well as a cat can smirk and re-settled himself against Harry's warm legs.

Harry could only shake his head and try not to start laughing again as he listened to Sirius' exaggerated version of the events as he sought pity from his younger brother, who was taking the 'cat's side'.

-----

Ginny sprinted up the path to Luna's house, kicking off her sandals just inside before walking in a more dignified fashion to the kitchen where she knew Luna would be coaxing her father into eating lunch. It was a wonder the man could even survive while she was at school, but Ginny had suspicions about Luna's evening disappearances, the ones she didn't spend with that shockingly pleasant Slytherin boy. "Hi, Luna!" She greeted as cheerfully as she was able, doing her best not to stare at her decidedly odd father. For some reason he was wearing a granny's shawl tied about his waist like a skirt…and nothing else except a feathered clip that held up his grey-blond hair in a sort of organized mass at the base of his neck. He smiled happily if not vacantly at her and she kept her own grin carefully in place as she acknowledged him. Wrapping her arms around Luna's waist from behind briefly so as not to jostle her as she carefully stirred some delicious smelling concoction that could put her own mother's cooking to shame.

She still remembered when the Lovegoods had first come to live in Ottery Catchpole, and how Luna hadn't spoken a word of English, preferring her native Swedish despite speaking English better than some natives. It was only recently that she had understood Luna's stubbornness in that area. It had been a precaution for homesickness, and when her mother had died she had refused to speak to anyone but her Swedish aunts who'd come to stay with them for several months before giving up on Xenophilias and going back home. Everyone had been surprised when Luna had opted to stay in the UK with her father instead of going back to Sweden, and Luna hadn't exactly been the type to explain her actions. They had been neighbors for years until Ginny worked up the courage to go introduce herself formally to the strange girl as she tended her garden filled with bizarre but edible plants. They became fast friends after that, especially when Ginny learned that Luna really wasn't as odd as she looked, unless she'd been drinking or was in one of her moods.

It hadn't occurred to her that Luna would have been sorted into Ravenclaw, but the more she thought about the more it seemed to suit her. The blond hummed in greeting and gave Ginny's arms a brief stroke before going back to stirring her stew. "What's in the pot, love?" I asked, sitting on the cleanest counter I could find in their tiny kitchen.

"Well, I haven't thought of a name yet, but its got rabbit, assorted seaweed, dandelion, and cabbage. I know it sounds gross, but it tastes quite good, I promise. Did you want some?"

"Hm, I'm not so sure." I smiled to show I was joking and she pretended to be insulted. "Oh, alright, Luna! I'll try some."

"No need to behave as if you are doing me a favor, ungrateful waif! I put my blood, sweat, and tears into this brew and all you can do is behave in such an abominable fashion? I knew I should have raised you the proper way, with _manners." _Her eyes sparkled and I was treated to one of her rare full-smiles. Ginny laughed and tried to remember how she had lived without this before having met her.

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End chapter 5

Hey, some background loveliness on Luna for you Luna-lovers out there! Also, I am considering pairing Ginny and Luna together. Review with your opinions on that option, okay?


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

"We are very close to Siberia, dear. Look at how much snow there is, even in the middle of August!" Pansy's mother was by far the most excited in their little group that consisted of an old Muggle couple intent on seeing the world before they died, a rather thick-set woman who towered over everyone they'd seen so far, her tiny cowering husband, their three raucous children who were constantly pulling each other's hair or screeching about how unfair it was that they couldn't have gone to an island instead, and about 10 other uninteresting and expendable (in Pansy's opinion, at least) imbeciles who took pictures of everything and chattered to each other about every minute in their obnoxious American accents. And then, of course, there was Pansy, her pregnant mother Persimmon, and her father Anser the 4th. How she had ended up on a horrible tour through Russia with her family was beyond her, since she had placed ever so many not-so-subtle hints about wanting very much to spend the summer with the Malfoys. But _no, _they had to take her from her nice warm bedroom and force her into this vacation from Hell.

She pouted and folded her arms over her chest. Why were they traveling with Muggles anyway? Besides, of course, her mother wanting to see how they vacationed without magic. Pulling her coat tighter around herself, she shivered violently despite the discreet warming charms she had cast on herself and joined her mother in peering over the edge of the ferry at the choppy sea, green topped with white foam.

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Maggie set foot on the edge of the woods surrounding the property she knew James Potter and Healer Maalik had been frequenting for the past several months. She was about to take another step when she felt something akin to a powerful, and quite painful, electrical shock go up the parts of her body that had crossed the property line. Stepping back hurriedly, she yanked up the hem of her trousers and saw the skin there had turned bright blue and seemed to pulse in time to her heartbeat, which had accelerated rapidly at the sight. Wards like this one had been outlawed in the 13th century by the Ministry because they caused the trespasser's magic or life source, depending on their magical status, and the energy was then fed to the magic of the inmates of the property being violated.

Then the trespasser usually died or was transfigured into an edible animal which was then captured and eaten by the residents. She swallowed. Being immortal made it impossible for her magic to be tampered with, but that didn't make her feel any better. The older a magic was, the more powerful it was in comparison to the pitiful examples she had been exposed to. True, it had been several minutes and she was still alive and human, but who knew what kind of detrimental effect the blasted ward was going to have on her later.

Throwing her hands up in exaggeration, she stomped off to the closest other property to see if she could weasel her way in under their cover. Muggles were usually able to pass through Wizarding wards unless a repellant was specified in the spellwork when they were woven.

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Bronislav was chatting happily with Regulus about the various potions that had been illegalized under ridiculous circumstances when he felt the wards twinge his palm where he'd sacrificed some of his blood to activate them several months ago. "Excuse me for a moment." He interrupted Regulus and stepped outside. Sure that no one in the house was watching, he apparatated to the side of his property where the intruder had been lurking, managing to catch sight of the back of a blue trench coat, and from the shape of the shoulder, it was a woman. Stealthily following, he tried to remember where he had seen that coat before since it was strangely familiar. Suddenly, he remembered that he had bought a coat identical to that one 67 years ago and gave it as a birthday gift to Magdalena. Moving closer, he noticed that her hair was the same color and texture as Maggie's.

Deciding to risk it, he called out, "Oi, Maggie! Is that you?" her head whipped around and she squinted at him since the sun had decided to peek out of the muggy clouds, briefly blinding the both of them. When she managed to see past the spots in her eyes, she grinned and ran the few meters separating them to embrace him tightly. "Broni! I didn't know you were staying around here."

"Oh, I live here. I came out here because I thought somebody was trying to break into the property and lo and behold it turned out to be you." When her mouth fell open he blinked in confusion. "What's the matter? Are you feeling alright?"

"You-you're the one who- oh my gawd." She covered her mouth with her hands and stared at him in apparent shock while he stood there wondering what the hell was going on.

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End chapter 6

Hehe. Maggie found out-Maggie found out-Maggie found out- [is singing

Sorry. I just really liked this part for some reason. I seriously have no idea why, though.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

"I-um-oh _shit_!" Bronislav could only stare as Maggie went through a series of similar exclamations, now with erratic hand movements. Hesitantly raising a hand, he brought it across her face in a sharp slap.

"Ow, dammit!" She shrieked, no looking more pissed than confused. Apparently realizing what she had been doing for the past several minutes, a blush stole up her cheeks and she ducked her head shyly. "S-sorry about that." She tugged at her hair in embarrassment before continuing, "I was just really surprised that you, um, you know, live here. I was kind of tracking someone and they have been around your property a lot lately. Have you noticed anyone suspicious staying with you or just generally lurking about where they're not wanted?"

"Our neighbor is a bit dodgy, but he tends to avoid us like the plague, and he did manage to sneak onto our property once but Harry caught him and we irritated him so he would leave us alone. Do you know the name or just the description of your target?"

"James Potter. I don't know why they want me to kill him, only that he has some kinds of magical anomalies in him that they don't want his kid exposed to or something. The people I'm working with are a bunch of self-righteous gits who like their mystery. It doesn't wear them well, I must say."

"Potter, you said?"

"Yeah, he's supposed to be a fellow a bit on the short side with messy black hair and glasses. I don't particularly _want _to kill another person for the sake of a snobbish organization, but I need the money bad and the man has threatened to cut my pay in half if I take another 6 months. I dawdled a lot before, see, and now he don't trust me."

"Would you be willing to fake the individual's death if I assisted you and made sure any tracking instruments this organization may have on him showed him as dead?"

"I take it you know the guy?"

"Say yes first and then I'll give you information. Think about it, Mags. You walk away with money and a clean conscience, something that is not easy to come by."

"Oh, alright. You've convinced me. I swear not to harm him and to collaborate with you in a false murder." She dropped her hand from where she had raised it while taking her vow. "Happy now?"

"Yes, very." He hugged her tightly before leading her back to the property and through the wards with ease.

-------

"So, how do you know James?" Maggie asked, realizing it was going to be a while until they reached the house and the silence had started to get to her.

"I adopted his kid because I thought he was an orphan. It's not Harry's fault, though. He didn't know he had any decent family left or anything."

"What do you mean by decent? And how old is the kid?"

"Um, his relatives are a long story that I shouldn't tell you because it's his business, but let's just say they weren't too proud of him for being a Wizard. Harry just turned 13 last month, actually. It's hard to believe. I never agreed with parents before when they said kids grow up fast, but they were right. It still feels like he's the same tiny 7 year old kid I saw in the hospital the first time we met."

"You met in a hospital?!" She looked alarmed and amused at the same time, a difficult feat to achieve.

"Heh, yeah. He had been attacked by some psycho and that was how I found out about his family. He got sent to some orphanage, and I eventually found him again and he agreed to become a family with me. Since then my brother Vladimir has come to live with us and for some strange reason he has no desire to bite or feed off of Harry. It's quite confusing, and I have no idea what could have caused it, but it is perfectly safe for Harry to be exposed to Vladimir's whole vampire thing."

"Really? I don't think I've heard of that either. Maybe he ate something weird when he was younger and it got into his blood system? I mean, I'm happy that the three of you can all live together without any complications, but don't you think you should make sure that he doesn't have some kind of infection?"

"I…hadn't thought of that. Do you think I should brew some of the Potions from Assyria or maybe I should just-" He cut himself off when they set foot on the significantly shorter grass of his front lawn, the slabs of mangled concrete looking strangely at home amongst the wild flowers and mosses covering them. Harry was seated on the front steps of the porch, pale hands supporting a book with a gleaming gold filigree dragon on the cover. He looked up when he heard them approach and smiled brightly at his guardian and the strange lady next to him. "Hello." He greeted pleasantly, his voice washing over her mind and affecting her emotions positively. She smiled and introduced herself, offering her hand for him to shake.

He hugged her instead and she was smitten completely by his charm, and found herself trying hard not to blush while Bronislav smirked at her predicament looking far more evil than he should have in the situation. She scowled at him above Harry's head.

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Raphael snapped the man's dislocated arm back into his shoulder with a strange popping noise and sneered at him briefly before announcing how much he owed him. The Muggle handed over the appropriate amount of bills before sliding off the table and out the door.

He sighed and ran a hand over his eyes, briefly closing them and wishing he hadn't drank the whole bottle of brandy last night. Weren't Angels supposed to be immune to human annoyances? He snorted. Most Angels didn't get banished to earth, either, he supposed. The bell rang over his tiny establishment, signaling a new patient and he opened his eyes to see who it was. Blinking when no head was visible above the counter, he walked closer and peered over the edge. Luna waved at him, a basket clutched to her chest with her other arm. He found himself smiling despite his hangover.

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End chapter 7

Review if you love me! Or…um, if you love the fic!


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Humming, Luna stood on her toes, balancing her weight perfectly atop the chair she was using to boost her height while she dusted the top of Raphael's bookshelf. Relaxing her muscles, her heels came back into contact with the wicker of the chair and she sneezed when her duster passed by her face.

Technically, she should be at home packing for school the day after tomorrow, but she had a feeling that Raphael wasn't the type to bother with menial things like cleaning his apartment, which was quite cluttered and it had taken hours to get rid of all the amassed garbage. Why she was doing it she wasn't sure, and he wasn't even home! She had found a handy fire escape and picked the lock on his window when she was sure he had left for the tiny office several city blocks away.

It was now approaching 4 in the afternoon and she knew she had to hurry if she wanted to escape unnoticed. The old lady next door who had given her such odd looks as she emptied the garbage bags down the chute would probably tattle on her, but he might not believe the old slob. Smiling, she placed the duster in her inwardly-engorged purse and made sure to lock the window behind herself after climbing out of it. The alley below was barren except for a few dumpsters and a smattering of broken glass on the stained concrete which she was careful to avoid when climbing down. Absently, she sang the words to some unknown rock song under her breath while weaving between the distracted Muggles heading to the train station for the long commute home. A few gave the little girl dressed strangely second looks but her only reaction was to smile benignly if she caught them. Her bag swung in time to half-skip she had adopted to the beat of the song and she interspersed it with running when she realized that she could miss her train to the closest floo exit. Catching it barely in time, she apologized quietly to the boy she had jostled and would have thought no more of the incident if a familiar voice hadn't asked, "Luna? Is that you?"

Turning to give him a closer look, she recognized Harry's thick mop under his hat and his mile-wide grin. Smiling brightly back she scooted closer and hugged him as best as she could amongst the crowd of annoyed adults. "Hiya, Harry! Fancy meeting you here." She adopted a posh accent for the last comment and his grin widened.

"Yes, fancy indeed, maiden." She snickered and hugged him again.

"How was your summer?"

"It was great! My dad came to visit me a lot, and even spent the night a couple of times. I even made a new friend, a lady who has known my guardian for a really long time!"

"Oh, that's lovely. Is she pretty?"

"Kind of. She has one of those faces that are pretty, but not enough to stand out. The kind of face that is perfect for a spy since you could blend into any kind of crowd. Her hair was really soft, though, so that makes up for it." Luna rolled her eyes at him and giggled.

"I met somebody new too. Well, this wasn't my first time meeting him, but I was really happy I was able to find him again."

"Oh yeah?"

"His name's Raphael and he always smells nice. Kind of like flowers, but not the perfume kind. I haven't figured out which flowers yet, but when I do I intend to make a huge garden with just them and just lay in it and smell them all day long."

"He smells that good?"

"Yeah, and kind of like smoke too but that's just because he is always smoking unless he is working. Kind of funny, actually, since he is a doctor."

"My guardian is a doctor too! Maybe they know each other?" Luna raised her eyebrows and Harry scowled. "I was just kidding, Luna. No needs to treat me like the village idiot."

"Okay, okay. Stay cool, Har. Did your cat come back?"

"Yeah! Right in the train station, actually. He is the weirdest pet ever, but I like him lots. He smells like smoky flowers too."

"Really? Maybe he stays with Raphael or somebody who uses the same kind of perfume when he's not with you?"

"That's a possibility. He's in my bag, actually. Let me see if I can get him out without poking somebody's eye out."

"Oh, are you here by yourself?" Luna looked around and didn't recognize anyone who looked remotely like either of Harry's guardians.

"Yeah, I managed to convince my guardians to let me go do some shopping by myself, but they stuck a weird tracking charm on me that I don't know how to disable, so technically I am not a free man."

"Got'cha. Ooh, was the kitty going sleepy-sleep?" She abruptly switched to cooing when Harry gently pulled a drowsy 'Raito' out of his book-bag. Yellow eyes sleepily regarded her and she reached out to take him from Harry's arms. Petting him carefully on the top of his head, she smiled when he purred at her and batted at her hair that had started to come out of the messy bun she had spelled it into. They amused themselves by sharing the cat between themselves until the train stopped in the more disreputable section housing their floo channel. Packing 'Raito' carefully back into his bag, Harry led the way to their destination. The seedy looking pub was filled to the brim with laborers just off work having a pint or two in peace before heading home. Pushing their way through the smelly bodies crowded together, they made it to the very back of the pub and up a flight of creaky stairs to the rooms above the pub. A frazzled woman stared at them when they handed her the sickles required to use the floo and heard her mutter in awe 'children?' as they passed her to the decrepit fireplace. Tossing in some green powder, Harry stepped inside and shouted something in Latin, disappearing in a flash of light and ash a moment later.

Adding enough to make her journey safe, she called out her home's password and stepped out of her father's office fireplace seconds later, careful to keep her balance. Finding him staring into space with a half-smile on his lips she pecked his cheek as she passed on her way upstairs to pack for the train tomorrow.

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Arriving in the kitchen (they had added their fireplace to the floo network illegally) he grinned when he saw Vladimir fling a meatball at a laughing Sirius. Clearing his throat, he tried to ignore the various food items strewn across the previously-spotless kitchen. Vladimir blushed and was about to clean it manually when James fired off a spell that made all the food disappear into the garbage. Mussing Harry's hair James interrogated him on what he had done and where he had gone. When he mentioned meeting Luna on the train and how he had parted ways with her at the floo, James interrupted and suggested inviting her and her father over for dinner. Bronislav, who had joined their little group several minutes before, said it was fine with him and left the room to find an owl in their woods willing to carry a message for him.

Finding a rather large black owl with purple eyes watching him, he offered the letter and asked politely in the strange communication all Wizards had with owls several hundred years ago if it would be willing to send his message and wait for a reply. It seemed to nod and flew down from the branch it had been resting on, offering a leg for him to tie it on. The owl pulled a strand of Bronislav's hair through it's beak before taking off, unintentionally reminding him of how long it had gotten and how he really needed to get it cut because he now took too long in the bathroom according to his bathroom-hog of a brother.

When he was back in the house it occurred to him that he had never seen an owl with purple eyes before. Shaking it off as a trick of the light, he headed upstairs to dig out the table cloths from the linen cupboard.

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Picking at his scalp, Draco tried to remember where he had left his favorite pair of socks. His usually crowded closet was practically empty, nearly everything except his dress robes packed neatly inside his trunk. Just as he was about to give up he heard someone wearing a swishy skirt come in and ask, "Looking for these?" Turning, he saw Daphne with his socks in her hand.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks, Daph."

"No problem. Whoa, are you almost done?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Nothing, its just I'm not even half-way done at my house and I don't own nearly as many clothes as you."

"Hey, its not my fault my aunts buy me clothes all the time! I don't ask them to spoil me, you know, and I can't exactly throw them away because they always check my closet when they come to visit. I still have the stuff I've outgrown in the attic, for God's sakes! The only good thing about it is that if there is ever a shortage of money in this house, all I'd have to do is sell some worthless clothes and we'd be set for life."

"Heh, true, that. Since you are done and all could you-"

"No."

"Aww, c'mon! It's not like you have anything else to do!" She whined, wringing her hands in an attempt to look less like a brat too lazy to pack her own clothes.

"No, I already promised Greg I'd help him. Gotta go, Daph!" He waved at her huffing form before disapparatating to the Goyle residence. Landing on a pile of wrinkled clothes, he cringed at the sight of pile after pile of cloth. Swishing his wand, the clothes formed into neat piles, folded with no sign of wrinkles and separated according to color and style. He then shrunk the piles and levitated them into the disorganized trunk after clearing the messy stacks of books to one side. He then righted the books, fixing any bent or broken spines while he was at it. That done, he held his hand out to a gaping Gregory who had emerged from the bathroom half-way into his impressive display of cleaning charms. "Is that all of it, Greg?"

"Uh, yeah. Thanks, man."

"I would say any time, but I think I should just teach you guy's basic cleaning skills next time. See you at the station tomorrow, okay?"

"See you." Greg seemed to be still very much in awe, something that Draco was still sniggering about when he arrived in Daphne's blindingly pink room.

"Oh, so you've decided to be helpful?"

"No, I just came to watch you attempt to cram a hippogriff into a tea dress." When she blinked, he snapped, "Sarcasm. You know, the most common method of speech for Slytherins?"

"I know that! I just got a weird mental image from the cross-dressing Hippogriff thing. Heh heh…" her eyes had a creepy glow to them as she seemed to drift off into la-la land. Rolling his eyes at her, he cast similar charms and her packing was done within seconds.

"G'bye, Daph. Tell your dad I said get well soon!" He went back to his room and got ready for bed, wondering when summer had decided to become so short.

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End chapter 8

This one is longer than usual, and next chapter they go back to school! Yay for 3rd year!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Whoops! I always forget to do these, so this one is for the entire fic. I am not Rowling and I never will be. The only stuff in my fic that belongs to her is a few locations and some names. Besides that, the rest of it is from a dark dank corner of my mind where all the nasty things are grown.

CHAPTER 9

Luna's eyes widened as she read the neatly-written dinner invitation, and she immediately ran down stairs to inform his father that a bathrobe wasn't proper clothing for visiting. Writing her reply as quickly and neatly as possible using one of his quills, she sent it off with the strange-looking owl that had obediently followed her down the stairs and settled on her shoulder. He wasn't as heavy as an owl his size should have been, and was quite friendly. Tying the scrap of parchment to his offered leg, she petted his wing and he cooed at her before flying out the window.

Assisting her father in buttoning a shirt he had selected (his hands had a tendency to shake occasionally from low blood-sugar) she set out some boots for him before heading upstairs and digging a half-decent dress out of her trunk where she has tightly packed her belongings for the train tomorrow. Slipping some converse on, she skipped downstairs and led her father to the fireplace and made sure that he was next to her and holding on to her hand just as tightly as she was holding his before calling out the location and password included in the note.

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Falling in a rumpled heap on what appeared to be hearth rug, the first thing Luna saw was a pair of bare feet. Looking up she found them to belong to someone with large brown eyes and soft waves of brown hair. He smiled down at her and offered a hand. "You must be Luna. I'm Maalik, and it's nice to meet you."

"I think we might have met once before, though it's nice to see you too." Dusting her self off, she hoisted her father up by gripping him under his armpits. Sirius, who had entered from the kitchen with his brother to greet them, stared in awe as a tiny blond girl lifted a full grown man of her own strength.

Recovering, he approached and shook Xenophilias' hand. The only reaction the man gave him was a vague nod before he went back to staring off into space. Luna smiled apologetically and offered her own. "Nice to see you again, Mr. Black."

"Uh, yeah. You too Luna. Is your father alright?"

"He's mad, he is, but harmless so don't worry about it. If I go to the loo and he gets nervous and acts up, just petrify him until I get back and can calm him down."

"I'll, uh, keep that in mind. Why don't you guys come this way to the living room?"

"Alright." She grabbed her father's arm and led him to the supposed direction of the living room. "This way, dad. We can find a nice place to sit, okay?"

"Yes, Luna." He meekly followed her to a room with a cool breeze flowing through it thanks to two windows opened on either side of it. Harry was sitting on the couch next to a man who looked similar to Sirius only with rounder features and shorter hair with 'Raito' between them fast asleep.

"Hi, Harry! Long time no see." He laughed and rose to hug her tightly. She settled herself beside him and with her father next to her. "So, what brought on the urge to invite us over?"

"Well, since I won't be seeing you at all the next 9 months I figured-"

"Oh, shut up! I'm not that young. I seem to remember attending a school quite similar to your's and-"

"You're here! Forgive me for not greeting you earlier, I hadn't heard the floo activate." Vladimir spread his hands in an attempt to look inviting and host-like while Bronislav struggled not to laugh at his foppish behavior. He sent him a brief glare before returning to 'host mode' and moving forward to introduce himself to Luna and her now-sleeping father. She elbowed him in the side and he snapped awake, looking surprisingly lucid for a second or so before returning to his usual vague state. Vladimir blinked before shrugging it off and moving on to Luna, who managed to muster enough energy for a bright smile.

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End chapter 9

Sorry it is so short. My muse is finicky right now, but I promise a better update tomorrow.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

About half an hour of chit-chat later, Luna noticed a single strand of pasta tangled into Vladimir's hair and suppressed a giggle. Noticing his friend's shaking state; Harry sent her a questioning look. She guided his eyes to the interesting hair decoration and he laughed before realizing it and clapped his hand over his mouth hurriedly. Unfortunately, that broke Luna's control and she was soon laughing just as hard.

The adults paused in their discussion on why all herbologists seemed to have a nervous streak to stare at the two children while they executed a laughing fit. Even the cat was laughing! "Would it be too much trouble to be let in on the joke?" Regulus finally asked, raising an eyebrow at a subsiding Harry. He nodded and pointed at the innocent string of pasta adorning Vladimir's hair. A bit of sauce was slowly sliding down it and tinting his hair red, and not in an appealing way. He screeched and began trying to get it off, only succeeding in mashing it into a sticky paste. Looking as pathetic as possible, he sent his brother an appealing look. Bronislav sighed and crossed the room to untangle the remaining solid bits of pasta from it. Giving up on the rest, he muttered, "Come with me. I'll wash it out in the sink."

Harry giggled one more time but stopped when he got sent a mock-glare that was somehow still chilling. Turning to Luna he asked her what her opinion of the Muggle genius Einstein was.

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The Hall of Judgment was vacant for the first time in approximately 400 hundred years. The reason for this would be Satan was busy torturing souls, the rest were out tempting humans, and Lucifer hadn't bothered to find a temporary replacement for himself when he left to go pay a visit to one of the few Angels to have survived the Fall.

Humming, he knocked blithely on the door of his apartment, not wanting to just barge in considering what had happened last time. After several moments the apartment door swung open, revealing the Lord's Arc-Angel of Healing, Raphael. A cigarette dangled from his fingers, his hair was disheveled, and his shirt was half off, revealing some interesting scars where his shoulder started. Realizing that that must be where his wings were severed, he quickly looked away before he began to remember when he had borne a pair of his own.

"Hello, Raphael, I hope this isn't a bad time-"

"It's 2 in the bleeding morning! Of course it's a bad time!" Gray eyes were narrowed in a piercing glare and Lucifer made sure not to show any sign of nervousness. There had been a time when he was Raphael's superior, but those days had gone when his pride had reared its head a little too high. Now they were equals, and they would remain such until God decided to end the world.

"Well, would you at least give me 5 measly minutes of your time? Please?"

Raphael sighed, ran a hand through his hair, which made several strands stick up comically in the back. Lucifer snorted. "Alright, alright. Come in and make it quick, will you?"

Stepping inside, Lucifer stared. Raphael had never been an organized person, always too brilliant to clean his living space or office, but the apartment was spotless except for a bottle of gin on the kitchen counter and his jacket strewn across a tiny couch. Raphael, noticing what he was looking at, smirked and asked, "Nice, isn't it? I don't know who cleaned it, but I checked and nothing was stolen so I'll just accept it as a gift."

"Damn, whoever did it should come pay a visit to my office after Belphegar's been through it." Raphael shuddered in sympathy. "I don't think even the best maid service could fix the damage he is capable of."

"Tell me about it! So, um, I was wondering if you had heard anything about the whereabouts of a certain escapee Dark Lord?"

"Um, which one? It's been a while since I was updated on the state of the Wizarding realm."

"Christened Tom Marvolo Riddle, now known as Voldemort officially, but often refereed to in evasive terms such as 'He Who Shall Not Be Named' and 'You Know Who'. This is because of the ridiculous superstition that uttering his name could evoke him back from where Uriel put him. However, we're still not sure how, he escaped from the tidy corner of the Netherland right next to Pluto's lake and somehow blundered his way out of the Vampire's territory alive and human. He is now floating around somewhere in the English countryside, most likely regrouping his forces. I'd like to get him out of the way before he manages to do something drastic again, and we already made a new place for him in hell right between the nastier ones where he can stew for all eternity. If you hear anything, please drop me a line." He raised his hands in a sign of peace when Raphael raised an accusing eyebrow "I swear, that is all I'm asking. No need to get all huffy."

"What do I get out of this?"

"Um, peace of mind?"

"You're assuming my mind isn't already. I need something a little more…solid."

"Fine, then. What do you want?" Lucifer crossed his arms and tried to hide his pout. Raphael saw it anyway and smirked wider.

"How about a Doll? I could use some company and my last one expired several centuries ago."

"Dammit, you had to pick that one…" Lucifer muttered, brown eyes darkening to black as they often did when he was upset or emotional in general.

"Why, is there a problem?" There was a clear challenge in his word that made the Demon stick up his chin stubbornly. "No problem at all. I will set the Grigori on it immediately."

"Good. If I hear anything, anything at all, you will be the first to know."

"Thank you."

"Now get out of my apartment before I do something violent to you."

"Yes, sir!" Mock-saluting, he disappeared in a cloud of sulphur.

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Dragging his trunk to the station, Luna beside him doing a half-skip, Harry considered the many topics he had to choose from in regards to his next personal project.

Waving one last time to his guardians and his parent, he stepped onto the train. Heading down the hall amongst the quickly filling compartments, they ended up at the very end of the train before finding a sort-of empty one. There was an older man, obviously a new teacher or other position on the staff, asleep in the corner but otherwise it was vacant. Casting a silence bubble around the sleeping man, he maneuvered their luggage onto the racks provided before seating himself next to the teacher as he would be the least likely to jostle him once the rest of his friends found their compartment. Not five minutes later, the peaceful silence was disturbed by Gregory shouldering his way in, followed by Blaise, Vincent, Daphne, and Millicent. They all blinked at the teacher but shrugged it off when they saw the spell Harry had cast (it created a blue-black tinge to the man's skin) they paid him no more attention and began excitedly relating their summer activities.

Harry smiled, related the interesting parts of his own summer, and then pulled his last remaining unread book from his bag, opening it to the introduction where he had left off. If his friends minded him reading a book on the construction of voodoo dolls, they didn't say anything.

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End chapter 10

Ack! 10 chapters already. Lol, I amaze myself sometimes ;)


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

The train was about half-way there when it came to a sudden screeching stop. The sound of the wheels grinding against each other was enough to give everyone on the train with a working set of ears the migraine of the century. Blaise groaned and thumped his head on the back of his bench and muttered, "Now what?"

The sound bubble abruptly disappeared from around the teacher and the man stood up, wand drawn and eyes alert. 6 Slytherin students stared back at him when he did a brief check of the contents of their coach, and he blinked. Why hadn't he heard that many people in such close proximity and weren't Slytherins authority-phobic or something?

"Um…why have we stopped?" Sure, the kids might attack him for daring to address them with no legitimate reason off the top of his head, but it was worth the risk when the quiet one who had been seating next to him demurely replied, "We're not sure yet, sir. The train seems to have encountered some problems which require us to remain unmoving for a yet undisclosed period of time. I'm Harry, by the way. Nice to meet you and I hope we didn't disturb your nap too much. The spell seemed to help but you never know with sound spells how high the volume protection is."

"Oh, it's alright. It was the sudden lack of movement that woke me, not any fault of your's. Pleasure to meet you all." He nodded to the other children. Half nodded back while the other just continued their imperious examination of him. "My name is Dmitry Leonide Ermingilde, and I am your new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor."

He could see the students begin to look at him in a new light, and even a few flickers of respect appear in the eyes of the black boy and large girl. His self-introduction seemed to remind them of their own manners and they went around telling him their names. "Daphne Greengrass, second year Slytherin." A petite blond girl actually smiled at him as she gave him her name. "Theodore Knott." The already gangly boy had brown eyes and hair, but his defined cheekbones and accent belied his nobility. "Blaise Zabini, Same year and house as everybody in this car besides you." His black eyes glittered like a Cobra's and Dmitry had to remind himself that staring was extremely rude before he made a fool of himself. The big girl met his gaze coolly and said, "I'm Millicent Bulstrode. I believe you've met my mum before once or twice."

"Oh, so I have. You've grown so tall! I didn't know you were attending Hogwarts either…" _'Damn, I've been out of the social circle for so long I can't even keep track of how old my descendants are...' _

"Thank you." She somehow managed to look prim despite her size. Several other boys rattled off their names, not really seeming to be paying attention to anything. Dmitry almost starting twitching at the sight that met his eyes when he came to the last occupant. Green eyes surveyed him and Harry smirked. He could feel a chill filling the compartment, and a deep ache developing in his bones. "Dementors." He whispered when, as one, his friends looked to him for information.

"_Shit." _Daphne hissed, drawing her wand and moving as far away from the window as possible. Dmitry sent Harry an accusing look and asked, "What do you mean, Dementors? And how would you know?"

"Harry always knows this kind of stuff." Millicent practically growled, moving closer to the smaller student protectively. "And since you're a teacher, shouldn't you have known about the new security measures?"

"I wasn't aware there was a need for such extremes." He did his best to assert his superiority but all he received were exasperated sneers before as one a shudder went through them. "They're getting closer." Harry whispered, any small vestiges of color draining from his face as he became whiter than the paper of his open book. His eyes went impossibly wide and then closed. His body went boneless in his seat and a ghostly figure appeared through the frosted glass of the door, clawed limb reaching out to pull the door open. Left with no other option, Dmitry yelled, _"Expecto Patronum!" _

A white mist that formed into a massive wolf appeared out of the tip of his wand and chased away the crowd of Dementors eager to feast upon the innocence of the children within. Turning back to see if any of them had had a worse than usual reaction, he saw Harry sprawled on the floor with a frantic Knott uttering spell after spell so fast he only caught several and recognized them as a combination of healing and reviving spells. When nothing was happening, he began to intersperse his incantations with "Oh God, please wake up, don't leave us like this, please come back…" and the like. Kneeling beside the children, he sent them apologetic looks before smacking Harry soundly across the face.

Nothing happened.

-------

End chapter 11

I know! I actually gave you guys a cliff-hanger, although it is somehow less potent since you all know I will continue it tomorrow. But hey, I tried. Sorry about not updating yesterday. I was gone most of the day, and when I got home I just wanted to relax.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

_Uncle Vernon loomed over him, a half-broken vase clutched in his enormous palm, the glass cutting into his flesh slightly. He didn't seem to notice, wild eyes fixed on Harry as he cowered in the far corner of his cupboard. The succeeding blows gave him a severe concussion and some scars on the crown of his head covered by his hair. It had been one of the most painful experiences of his life. _

_Mariel was lying spread-eagled on the floor of her bedroom, heart no longer is beating because all that had sustained it was spread out around her like a macabre crimson rug. Dimly he had been aware that the red contrasted beautifully with the colorless pallor of his skin. The madness of grief reaching up like the great claws of a monster, drawing him down and inexplicably towards the bathroom and sharp things within. _

_Dying…slowly…too slowly…why was he still alive? What was there left in the world? He was a hopeless excuse for a human being, unknown to any kind of records. No one would even notice he was gone. _

_Screaming! Someone was screaming, someone who had cuddled him in her arms and told him how much she loved him and what a big strong man he would be some day. Then there was sobbing, not like the kind done by a woman, but the choked and suffocated noises of a man who has lost everything and no longer cares if society says it is not proper for a man to show such emotion. _

_It was cold. Freezing, even, and nobody was there to make him warm again, so what was the point in crying? He was going to die and maybe then he would be with the pretty lady who called herself his 'mummy' and always made sure he was never left all alone like he was now._

He could feel himself nearing the brink of something, and began to fear it was insanity. Oh well. It was bound to happen eventually, and if losing his mind could make the constant screaming go away he was fully willing to surrender. Just as he came dangerously close to the maw of brilliant light that blinded his mind's eyes, he heard a voice calling him, begging him not to go. His mind was momentarily confused as the notion that he might still be wanted was introduced to it. He could always come back to this delightful place where he didn't need to be anything but himself, so what was the harm in opening his body's eyes for just a few minutes to see what the people wanted? Giving a mental shrug, he cracked an eyelid first, and then allowed them to slide back smoothly as he became fully aware of his body's surroundings once more.

Well, the edges of his vision were tinted just slightly with the last vestiges of the light he had witnessed, but he trusted it would fade with time. "Hullo." He croaked at last, growing uncomfortable under the stares of his schoolmates and future Professor. It cracked the momentary spell they seemed to be under and he almost wished he hadn't when Pansy attached herself to his thin ribcage and shrieked, "Oh, thank Merlin! We thought you were in a coma or something!" She looked him in the eye and scowled "Don't' you _ever _scare us like that again, do you hear me!?"

"Yes, ma'am!" He freed an arm and snapped a salute. She grinned and leapt off of him, smoothing down her dress. Gazing through the frosted window, he noted they were moving again, and in the proper direction as well. All was as it should be, so he deemed it safe to rise steadily to his feet, stand atop the bench, and slap Professor Ermingilde clear across the face. When the older man sent him an accusing glare and demanded, "What the hell was that for, you brat?!"

"Payback. You dare to touch me; you get a smack in the face. So don't you ever touch me again without my permission, or next time's payback will involve a knife or other such sharp implement, possibly a Potion's scalpel. Do I make myself absolutely clear?" He dealt him a ferocious glare that looked quite out of place on his youthful face, and was all the more frightening because of that.

"Now look here-"

"I asked you a question, and I expect either a yes or a no."

"But-"

"One more interruption and I will assume you intend to ignore my threat and subsequently I will stab you the next time you irritate me."

Dmitry suddenly remembered why he didn't like Slytherins. One minute they're respectful and attentive, the next they're threatening your very livelihood. Not like he had much to fear in the way of death, but it was the principle of the thing. Since he didn't want to create complications in his life so soon, he agreed to the boy's terms. Who knew smacking him would have caused such a ruckus.

"Good." Harry seated himself cross-legged on the bench and opened his book as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. When he made a move to reclaim his seat, however, he was met with a collective growl and was forced to spend the remainder of the trip seated on the floor while the students ignored him.

-----

Albus did his best to appear as benign and ineffable as usual, but apparently hadn't succeeded as well as he wanted since Filius and Pomona sent him worried looks throughout the Welcoming Feast. He merely upped the twinkling spell on his eyes and sent them a grin every time he caught them staring.

His eyes spent the majority of the evening focused on the Potter boy, though. He was just entering his 3rd year, and had friends in most of the houses, a near impossible feat for a Slytherin to accomplish, which only made him more worrisome. It was near impossible to get the boy alone, as he was almost constantly surrounded by his friends or if he was alone, it was in a public area filled with students dying to focus on any unusual event so they could have more fodder for the gossip mill.

Taking a sip from his pumpkin juice, he allowed his eyes to land on the DADA teacher he had hired for this year. He had been making nice with his brother Aberforth at his shady establishment in an attempt to convince him to join the Order and had noticed Dmitry sitting beside him at the bar. They had started a conversation, and one thing led to another, the end result being having gained a new Defense Professor. The man had been very subdued since the train ride, though, and he was anxious to know what had happened.

Returning his attention to Potter, he blinked when their eyes met. Harry smirked and sent him a little wave. He faked a smile and the boy's smirk widened. The whole thing was very suspicious, but he knew he wouldn't have time to follow the kid around this year since that madman had escaped Azkaban and he needed to spend most of his energy trying to get a replacement for the Dementors the Ministry had 'helpfully' provided as a security measure to 'protect the Wizarding youth'. Personally, he wouldn't be surprised if the Dementors had been trained to spy on him.

-------

The bartender, Aberforth she believed he had said, eyed her cautiously when she ordered her 5th bottle of Firewhiskey and muttered something about 'never having seen a woman hold it so well'. She smiled at him when he handed it to her and said, "Put it on my tab, will you?"

"Yes, ma'am. Is there anything else you'd like with that?"

"Um, no. I think I'm set for now, thanks." She smiled brightly, profoundly happy with herself. Bronislav had managed to get the spells perfect, and she was celebrating quietly by herself before she delivered the false news that she had disposed of James Potter. Not that the little trinkets the old man had been using to monitor him wouldn't have already let him know. Smirking into her bottle, she turned over the idea of spying on her colleagues John and Rael, but discarded it. She still hadn't managed to gain any substantial information on Rael other than he definitely wasn't human and the Ministry had no records of anyone by that name, and nor did Gringotts. Taking another draw of the bottle, one that emptied it half-way, she began to make vague plans to visit Chara Malfoy. It had been awhile since she had bought herself some new clothes, after all.

---------

Humming softly, Bellatrix wound her way through the ever-freezing passages of Nurmengard prison. Male prisoners gave appreciative looks or whistles as she passed by their cells and sometimes she flattered them with a wink or quick wave.

Arriving at the gates that led to the inner cells where those in solitary confinement were kept, she relayed the password to the guard via whisper and he bowed briefly as he opened the gate for her. The hallway here was made of white limestone and the cell doors blocks of shiny steel. Heading down to the cell she had grown so familiar with, she arranged the metal bars protruding from it in their proper order, and listened intently for the miniscule clicking noise that signified that she had entered the correct password. When she heard it, she pushed the lever down, making the handle to open the door slide out smoothly. Grasping it, she pulled on it hard until the door began to move towards her.

When it was out of the way, she entered the cell with the same caution she had used for the last 19 years. It was just as well, as she managed to dodge the stunning spell that came flying at her out of what seemed to be the very wall. Laughing, she fired one back and heard a muffled grunt as he exerted his agility to dodge it.

"I see you haven't lost your touch." She complimented, putting away her wand.

"Thank you, Trix. It's good to see you again." He folded his arms over his chest and grinned at her benignly. He may have been over a hundred years older than her, but he was still quite sprightly and she had been nursing a slight crush on him since the day she'd happened upon his cell (and subsequently, blackmail on Dumbledore).

"Likewise, Gellert."

------------

End chapter 12

Ha! The plot thickens…finally. If any of you guys have not read Deathly Hollows (I haven't either, lol) this story will contain spoilers from it. How I am spoiling a book I have never read, and have no intention of reading, I am not sure but it is happening, I tell you!

Oh, and if I spelled 'Nurmengard' wrong, let me know.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

"Hullo, Myrtle." Harry greeted when he crawled out of the tunnel that led to the Chamber of Secrets, a giant serpentine head following him, with its eyes firmly closed. For some reason there was a giant pink bow around her neck. The blinding color was so distracting that it took Myrtle a full minute to realize that Harry had addressed her. Blushing silver, she floated over and settled next to him on the stone floor with his back against the sink. Hedwig slithered up entirely and Myrtle began to understand why he had sealed the bathroom door when the snake coiled herself around the bathroom, encasing the both of them in a nest of thick scales. Her head now rested in Harry's lap and he absently petted her feathery crest while listening to her hiss out the most interesting things she'd discovered in the Forbidden Forest.

Reaching into his bag and pulling out a book, Harry opened it to the first page and slid it over to Myrtle, who glowed at the prospect of being to read again. He stayed until the segment of time between classes out and dinner closed, and then he helped Hedwig back down to her nest in the Chamber and made sure to charm the book on Ghosts to turn its pages at Myrtle's prompting so he could go eat.

-----

At dinner he allowed his eyes to roam the Hall, and he discovered that the Headmaster was once again staring at him, joined by Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Ermingilde. Giving the Headmaster a patronizing look, he smiled at the Gryffindor head of House and ignored the other two.

Tuning back into his friend's conversation, he managed to catch that Draco's mother had been getting better lately, and that the more time he spent with her the more normal she had begun to behave. He was now worried that she would relapse in his absence.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Draco. I mean, your sister is there, right?"

"Yeah, but I'm still not sure it's the nest idea for her to be so cut off from society."

Harry's attention wandered again and he paused at the Ravenclaw table to wink at Luna, and she winked back while waving a turnip that she had carved into a rabbit. He let out a startled laugh and waved his friends off when they asked if he was alright. The stars twinkled brightly down on the students of Hogwarts, promising a good year. Everything was as it should be, and Harry couldn't wait to see what force of destruction would shatter it this year.

A smirk pulled at his lips and he indulged in his habit of picking out the flesh around his fingernails until they bled.

----------

Dmitry organized his books painstakingly, making absolutely sure that he really was missing his very expensive copy of 'Ghosts and How they Work' by Dahlia Gladiis. Dammit, he had paid a good 50 galleons for that, and had no idea how it could have been left behind or lost. It was impossible that it had been stolen, since he had warded his office with every one on his extensive arsenal. Looking around, at a loss, his eyes landed on a previously unnoticed slip of parchment innocently resting on his desk. Crossing the room to it, he picked it up and unfolded it to reveal a neat script in blue ink. It only said 2 words, but they were enough to make him growl and crumple the scrap into a tiny ball before flinging it into the fireplace.

_Lose something?_

---------

The trip to the Defense classroom was uneventful except for Pansy's constant murderous-sounding rambling about making the Professor's life a living hell for daring to harm another student. Maybe he had overdid the whole 'scare the crap out of a total stranger because I'm having a bad day' thing?

Pushing their way through flying elbows and the loud conversations of their classmates, they made their way to the front where they could bear down on the Professor with disapproving looks and obnoxious questions. Arranging themselves into appropriately threatening positions and pulling out their supplies, they talked quietly amongst themselves while waiting for Professor Ermingilde to enter.

When he did, he paused for a split-second at the sight of an entire front row of Cheshire grins from the Slytherin 3rd years. Straightening his Muggle tie compulsively, he smoothed his hair and stood in front of his desk, leaning back on it for support.

"Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts, students. Now-"

He was interrupted by a hand shooting up and waving about frantically in an effort to be noticed sooner. "Yes, Miss Parkinson?"

"Why do we have a new professor every year?"

"Well, this is a difficult job and supposedly most people aren't able to keep up with the workload for longer than a year. Now if you would-"

Another hand shot up and before he could even call on him Ted asked, "Where are from?"

"Spain." He didn't even bother to try and launch into his pre-prepared speech.

"You don't look like a Spaniard." No question about it, the Zabini kid was going to question the validity of every thing that came out of his mouth. At least he only had this group 2 times a week.

"That would be because I am not Spanish by origin. I just live there."

"Are you married?" The Greengrass girl was staring at him in a terrifyingly aware way and he swallowed. What business did a little girl have looking at him like that? Having had enough, he neglected to answer her question and started in on his speech, ignoring any and all waving hands, eventually resorting to silencing spells when the Slytherins started shouting 'Hey! Can you see us?!'

He gave them detentions with Hagrid for disrupting the class. For some reason they all looked ridiculously pleased about that fact.

He never should have accepted this job offer.

--------

End chapter 13

Sorry it's so short!


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

Attempting to tap out the rhythm of a song he had heard over the summer, Harry failed to notice that two spots of blood were slowly forming where his abused fingers were relentlessly making contact with the scratched surface of the desk. His mind was occupied with Asmodeus, and wondering if he'd get to see him before Christmas break. Giving up his tapping, he rested his chin on his hand, failing to notice that he was spreading the blood over his neck too.

It had been a week since he had returned to the school and he still missed his guardians a bit, and hoped that the house would still be standing when he came back. They had promised to do their best to ensure that he would spend Christmas with them, but he resolved not to hope too much lest he be disappointed again. Professor Flitwick rambled about the uses for the levitation charm variation they were learning, and his stack of books swayed dangerously with his hand movements. Having gotten bored with worrying about his issues, he subtly sent a breeze towards Filius, making the half-breed topple off his seat and onto the slate floor. Blinking, he wondered if maybe he had sent too much when the creature didn't move for about a minute. The other students who had been laughing began to become worried as the seconds ticked by and still there was no sign of life from the Professor. Sighing, he stood and poked the creature with his wand, sending a silent reviving spell into his system. His fingers twitched before the Professor's head popped up and he stood, looking disgruntled but amused at the same time.

"Well, wasn't that exciting?" He squeaked, accidentally spitting on Harry. The brunette sighed and cast a cleaning spell before slumping back to his seat next to a sleeping Draco. Why the hell did they have to do school so early in the morning anyways?

------

Since it wasn't raining or too cold, Harry elected to eat outside with Luna and anybody else who choose to tag along. They sat on the rock in the middle of the lake, taking their time since they had a free period right after lunch. He nibbled on the edge of a sweet roll, but threw the rest to the Giant Squid soon after.

"You really should eat more, Harry. If you don't it'll stunt your growth." Luna's face was concerned but her eyes gleamed with quiet amusement. She took a bite out her sandwich, absently tossing the remains to a hopeful tentacle breaching the surface of the water. It wiggled happily at her before disappearing, sandwich in tow.

"I don't care." He muttered in reply, hunching his shoulders slightly. She laughed with her mouth full, choking slightly. After swallowing she flung a thin arm around his shoulders and moved closer so she could rest her head on his arm. His lips quirked and he patted her lengthening hair.

"So, how is your doctor friend?"

"He's good. I've been sending him food and stuff when I go to check up on my father every week."

"Oh yeah, speaking of that, do you need any help preparing meals? I can cook, but I haven't in a while and I've started to miss it a bit."

"Some help would be nice, but only if you are sure you have nothing else going on-"

"I'm sure. Besides, it will be good to get away from here every once in a while, other than Hogsmeade weekends that is."

"True."

They spent the next 40 minutes simply lazing around on the chunk of land, talking sporadically about whatever came to mind. When they had about 20 minutes left before they had to go back to class, they packed up their plates and utensils and conjured a bridge connecting them to land.

Dropping their dishes off at the kitchen they parted ways to attend their next classes with promises to meet up later in the library. They both resolutely ignored the edge of a horrendous orange robe belonging to the Headmaster peeking out from behind a suit of armor.

---

End chapter 14

Review if you love it! Or like it…Your choice.


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

"You what?!" James roared, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. Several disgruntled passengers glared at him but he ignored them. Vladimir didn't even have the grace to look chastised, absently biting his nails. Bronislav merely looked uncharacteristically flippant and raised an eyebrow at James' anger as if to ask its purpose. Vladimir removed his abused thumb from his mouth with a sigh and repeated, "I said we pretended to kill you, so you can now move freely around the country as long as you wear a glamour of some kind. I don't know why you're so upset; I mean, we did you a huge favor, for free and everything."

"I got that part, but couldn't you have told me you were going to erase my identity before going ahead and doing it without my permission?"

"No." Bronislav answered, not even gracing him with a glance, brown eyes trained on the blurred scenery passing by the windows of the bus. He took a drag of his cigarette and passed it to his brother, ignoring the evil eye an old lady was giving him for violating the bus' 'no smoking' rule. He sneered briefly, his migraine not allowing him to retain his usual mild-mannered persona. She blinked and looked away quickly. James was still spluttering when he returned his wandering attention to him.

"Look, James, you are our child's birth parent, but that doesn't mean we have to like you. What we did was more for Harry's sake than for yours, so buck up and take it like a man. I'm not asking for a thank you, but a cease in the whining would be wonderful considering I have the migraine of the century and your voice is annoying as all hell." He took another drag of the cigarette Vladimir had passed back before tacking on, "No offense."

"None taken." Sirius cheerfully replied, a large hand clamped firmly over a struggling James' mouth. Vladimir leaned back to murmur in Bronislav's ear, "I like this one."

They grinned at each other, and Broni ruffled his brother's lengthening hair like he used to when they were children.

From a dark corner of the bus, sandwiched between a suspicious looking Mexican with his hand in his jacket and a scantily clad young woman who had been leering at him for the last 20 minutes, Tom observed his increasingly worrisome neighbors, changing his existing plots to include their friends. And the woman who had once again invaded his personal space by smoothing a manicured hand up his thigh. He _hated _Muggles.

---

Smoothing down his robes and straightening his tie, Harry shouldered his bag and headed downstairs to join his friends at the Halloween feast. Passing a scowling Marcus Flint in the halls, he made sure to congratulate him on his defeat of the Gryffindors in the match earlier that day, earning a flattered smirk for his efforts. Harry had found that a happy Marcus made life easier for everyone, as the larger boy was quite fearsome when in 'one of his moods'.

Slipping in the doors to the Great Hall without being noticed by his fellow students, he slid into his place at the Slytherin table next to Luna. Sure, she was violating unspoken school rules by sitting with them, but her housemates already hated her so what was there to lose? She smiled at Harry and he smiled back, mood improving when he saw he wasn't the only one not eating, and would therefore not arise suspicion by only plucking up a handful of Blood Pops and unwrapping one while simultaneously packing away the rest for later when he had one of his random sugar cravings and didn't want to make the customary trip to the kitchen.

Popping the candy into his mouth and twirling it absently, he listened to his friends talk about what they were going to do this year in regards to excitement, occasionally offering an opinion or agreeing with an idea. Looking away from them for a second, he inwardly grinned when he saw Professor Ermingilde was still glaring at him, which signified he had discovered another of his little notes 'explaining' the absence of another of his texts. He had given back the one of ghosts, though, so he should at least be grateful that Harry hadn't kept it for himself.

His eyes moved again and landed on the Hufflepuff table. Edmund looked up from his plate at the exact same moment and met his eyes with a smile playing on his lips. Harry returned it and waved. He hadn't seen the Hufflepuff around much since they were in different years and most 5th years were cramming for OWLS despite them being quite a ways away out of a profound desire to pass them with a qualifying score. Despite himself, Harry had missed him a bit and had left him a message to come hang out with him and his friends that night in the library if he was interested.

Looking back at the Head Table, he sent the Headmaster intently studying him a blinding grin before turning to answer a question Blaise had asked him about attempting bi-location.

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Side by side the Lestrange twins forged their way through the crowded but orderly corridors of Durmstrang on their way to class. They didn't do this often, since the organized patterns of study didn't stick very well to their style of thinking, but since their mother was coming to visit they supposed actually doing some non-independent study couldn't hurt.

Sliding into an open bench at the very back of the school that was unoccupied due to the massive amount of ice caked onto it, they melted the ice and dried the bench before plunking themselves down and pulling out their neglected books and parchment. The Professor hadn't noticed them yet, and so was able to lecture coherently until about half-way through class when Georg raised his hand and asked an obscure question about the material that had their fellow students blinking while trying to comprehend the reference point. The Professor made a choking noise and stuttered out, "Le-Lestrange!" Before fainting dead away, skull impacting loudly and painfully with the floor. Blood began to trickle out from where his head had shattered, seeping into the thin layer of frost that coated it and tinting it an attractive shade of carmine. Several of the weaker-willed students sobbed.

Georg blinked. "Um…?" Maybe they should have re-thought their pattern of action that morning.

----

End chapter 15

ZOMG! 15 chappys already?! Damn, time flies. For some reason this installment of the series has been focusing more on humor than the usual blood-thirsty denizens I had planned. Oh well. I haven't heard any complaints yet, so speak up people if it bugs ya!


	16. Chapter 16

Fun Fact: This series' theme song is 'Crazy' by Gnarls Barkley. Even if you don't like the song the first time you listen to it, it will haunt you until it grows on your psyche like some twisted weed. But not an unwelcome weed by any means.

CHAPTER 16

Green eyes slowly opened but snapped shut again when a brighter than he remembered ray of sunshine blinded him. Everything felt fuzzy, like he had hit his head or something. Attempting to rub the sleep from his eyes, he found his hands firmly tied together behind his back. He very nearly panicked at the rough sensation of the cords, but forced himself to breathe deeply and perform the bi-location spell once he was sure he was alone in the claustrophobic stone cell.

Seeing his double take shape beside him, he willed the ropes binding the both of them together away and sat up. The source of light had been a skylight at the top of his low-ceilinged cell, and he subconsciously dimmed the brilliant autumn sunlight. Silently, he and his double stood simultaneously and began to inspect the cell for any openings or loose stonework. Not finding any, he performed a wandless levitating charm that lifted him up to the rim of the skylight, which was devoid of a proper glass covering, and peered out. There was nothing to be seen but blue sky melting into the sea for miles, only interrupted when he craned his neck and saw that he was situated along the outer wall of the structure. The lower portion of the outer defenses were covered with seaweed, the stone standing out starkly like the bones of some beast since it had been whitened by the sea crashing against it for God knows how long.

Retracting his other self, he winced as the unseen memories slid into his mind. Bracing his hands on the edge of the cell, he pulled himself upwards and balanced precariously on the edge of the window so he could scout out where he was better. Spying a flock of rainbow colored fish fly past him, he blinked. Since when did fish breathe air? Looking down, he saw a ghost in the shape of that Gryffindor with the nasal voice, Granger, he thought it was, waving cheerfully at him.

Just when he was about to start asking what the hell was going on, he felt a freezing hand grasp his ankle and tug several times.

He sat up in his bed and looked down to see a worried Ted eyeing him. Sending a meaningful glance to his hand still clasped around his limb, and he smirked when Ted pulled his hand away like he had been burned.

"Are you okay, Harry? A couple seconds ago you were _floating _over your bed and I guess I freaked out. Sorry."

"No, don't be. The dream was getting weird so it was just as well."

"Okay. Well, uh, classes start in about an hour so…?"

"Alright. I'll meet you guys there."

"'Kay." Ted Picked up his bag and left the abandoned dorm. Crawling out of bed, Harry was profoundly grateful for the warming they had cast last night since the floor would have given him frostbite otherwise.

------

The Malfoy grounds were well-kept and shone faintly due to a thin layer of frost clinging to the grass. Mammon smiled at the calming sight, teeth rivaling the sun in their meticulously clean state. He never could stand anything around him being less than perfect, after all, and he sent a blast of magic towards a swan with slightly ruffled feathers, the raw power smoothing them and making them whiter than snow. The unfortunate bird squawked and flew away before the strange man in Muggle clothing could do anything else to it.

Pleased that everything was in order, he crossed the remaining stretch of grass and ascended the stairs to the entrance. Lightly pushing the doorbell, he listened to the phantom chimes echo throughout the entryway inside before the door cracked open, a large eye surveying him.

"Does yous work fer the Min'stry?" It's squeaky voice asked, eyes furtively looking over his shoulder as if searching for an army of some kind.

"No. But I do have an appointment with your master. Is he home?"

"No, Dobby is sorry to tell yous but Master did leave for his office as alwa'y this mornin'."

Mammon sighed and smoothed a hand through his hair. "Alright. Tell him Hell was here for me, will you?"

The House Elf paled dramatically and abruptly slammed the door. Mammon blinked before shrugging it off and choosing to avoid wandering over the lawn again by shadowing back to Lucifer's Hall to report.

-----

Popping a chocolate into her mouth, Luna set the box down and turned the radio up a couple more notches before going back to dancing in the middle of her room. Ginny laughed when she did a particularly Michael Jackson-worthy move from her vantage point sprawled on the bed. It was the second Hogsmeade weekend, and they had noticed that it was easier to sneak out when almost everyone else was focusing on what they were going to buy or who they were going with.

Ginny had bruised her ankle several days ago and found it was best to put as little pressure on it as possible, and was therefore opting to watch her friend dance rather than join her as she usually would have. Luna had mentioned a friend of hers that she was going to introduce her to, so Ginny had worn a raggedy floral-print dress instead of her usual jeans. Just as she was about to eat one of the chocolates they had pitched their money together to buy, there was muffled knock on the door downstairs before they heard it open, followed by soft footsteps on the stairs.

"Luna?" Raphael called, rapping his knuckles on her door. Grinning, she flung it open and hugged him tightly around the waist before he could escape. Smiling despite himself, he petted her hair and softly asked her how she'd been.

-------

End chapter 16

Well, everybody is meeting everybody, aren't they? Review with feedback! I need the feedback almost as much as I need another bottle of champagne!! Which is pretty badly, as any of you who have met me personally already know.


	17. Chapter 17

Fun fact: Heh, the Malfoy theme song should be 'Glamorous' by Fergie.

CHAPTER 17

The Ministry was the sort of place where you felt you had a safe, steady job that would last for years and years without so much as a hiccup. Therefore, it was quite unexpected when the collective classes of government workers felt a raw shiver race down their spines. Something, somebody, had just entered their haven and was about to wreak some most unwanted havoc. Pricilla Stanton flinched in her receptionist's chair when the floo flared to admit a new visitor. Normally the bustle of the crowds would have covered the noise, but today the foyer was almost empty due to a Wizarding holiday that celebrated the defeat of the Dark Lord Nadir, whoever he was.

Plastering on her customary bright smile that usually didn't reach her eyes, she tried not to show that her hands were shaking as she greeted the tall man who had entered and handed over a roll of parchment for him to sign. He flashed a smile, white teeth glinting with controlled menace in the torchlight. She swallowed and accepted the quill when he handed it back, squeaking out that the lifts were to the right. The way he moved resembled a snake given legs and impossible grace. She released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding when he disappeared into one of the magically controlled boxes. Glancing down at the form, she noted that the only thing he had written was a six-letter word that might be his name. Mammon, huh? He must be French, she mused to herself.

-----

Ingrid Black was not a woman to be taken lightly, and that was something any of her previous husbands would readily assure you to be true. Understandably, she had little problem intimidating a spineless job interviewer into hiring her for the position of organization of the Ministry's Restricted Records. Therefore, instead of reacting in the same imbecilic way her co-workers did when a tall man with an aura of ill-will who was clearly not permitted to be there, she approached him with her hands braced firmly on her hips and eyes gleaming in a way that made Basilisks look harmless. He gave her a friendly smile accompanied with an expectant look.

"What is your business in this department, sir?" She hissed, back in the impossibly rigid posture Purebloods were expected to maintain at all times. Her long braid of black hair seemed to be moving of its own accord, and wrapped briefly around her corseted waist.

"I intended to find the records regarding one Mr. Lucius Malfoy, if you'd be so kind as to direct me to the place of their storage, I would most appreciate it."

"Do you have authorization to be here and Mr. Malfoy's signed permission to be meddling with his records?" Her skirt rustled as she shifted her weight to one foot and cocked her head.

"Yes. Just give me a moment…" He dug into his Muggle-style suit jacket and withdrew a sheaf of papers that had been signed by Lucius half an hour earlier when he'd intruded his office without permission and with a frantic secretary trying to explain that he had just walked right on in and she couldn't stop him. The blond had played the part of a terrified Ministry minion very well, and Mammon felt any second thoughts about his choice drift away. Handing the forms to her, he examined her while she checked for forgery with her wand. She was of average height, but her presence was enough to instill respect, and the rich purple tone of her Victorian-style bustled dress seemed to imply status in a circle higher than the political one that she worked for. The collar was high, and decorated with black beads sewed carefully to the thin silk. The effect was pleasing, and if she had had a friendly bone in her body he would have invited her to lunch.

"Alright, you can go and sit on the sofa over there while I go retrieve the records for you." She gestured to a chintz sofa in the corner that had been overlooked before then and bustled off, skirts making a slight hissing noise as they rubbed together. He grinned and seated himself so that his long legs were sufficiently arranged on the couch with his boots dangling over the other side.

When Ingrid returned with a sizable stack floating behind her, he stood and removed them from her arms, setting them on the fragile-looking table that rested beside the sofa. Re-seating himself, he shuffled through them until he found the sheet describing their older daughter who had died as a casualty of the war against the recently-risen Dark Lord. Changing some details, he made sure to discretely remove the alarm that would go off when he resurrected the body.

Handing the stack back to Mrs. Black when he had finished, he left the room with a bounce in his step.

------

Tugging at his hair in boredom, Harry considered cutting it shorter but disregarded the idea when he remembered how much Asmodeus liked it long. They were in Care Of Magical Creatures, and their professor had been excitedly rambling as he led them further and further into the Forbidden Forest. The Gryffindors were looking increasingly nervous the father they went, and Blaise had to suppress a snigger every time one of them squeaked at the sight of a rabbit or similar harmless woodland creature disgruntled by the presence of humans in their habitat.

Grinning at them, Harry waved cheerfully at a suddenly blushing group of girls. They waved shyly back and he sidestepped a protruding root easily to glue himself to Daphne's side when they looked like they were going to come over and try to talk to him.

When they reached a large clearing, Professor Hagrid instructed them to stop and remain very still. Then he introduced them to a 'Hippogriff' named Buckbeak, and absently petted its head while rambling about the first Hippogriff ever seen by man and how they were proud creatures that needed to be treated with respect at all times or else bear the consequences of their formidable wrath. When Ron Weasley raised his hand and asked how you were supposed to greet them, he demonstrated by bowing and waiting for the creature to bow back. When it did, he gave it a slab of meat from the pouch hanging from his belt. Buckbeak devoured it in one bite and went back to eyeing the students curiously. Catching sight of Harry, who was reading the textbook instead of staring; it approached against Hagrid's cries for it to stay away from the little humans.

Giving an impatient squawk when it still didn't catch the human's attention, it stretched out its neck and butted his fragile chest gently. Calmly putting his textbook away, Harry looked it straight in the eye before placing a cautious hand on its plumage and giving it a long slow stroke. It released a keening sound similar to a purr and pushed itself deeper into his questing hand. Smiling despite himself, Harry conceded with its wishes and continued to pet it for several minutes while Hagrid spluttered in shock.

Getting bored, Buckbeak moved itself into a different position and insinuated it wanted Harry to get on its back. Blinking, he shrugged before climbing nimbly up it while being sure not to pull any feathers too hard. He had no desire to have himself torn to shreds by an enraged hippogriff, after all. Smoothing the feathers he had ruffled in his ascent, he was caught off guard by the creature suddenly running the length of the clearing and soaring up into the sky.

Letting out a surprised shout, Harry clung tighter to the feathers and clenched his thighs around the torso so he would less of a chance of falling off. When they flew towards the lake, he spread his arms briefly to catch one of the birds Draco had expressed an interest in studying, gently wrapping the bird in a handkerchief after spelling it asleep, he placed it in his bag and reminded himself not to jostle it as much. Wrapping his arms delicately around Buckbeak's neck, he listened to the beat of his heart as he strained his wings to soar higher before turning around and going back to the clearing where the rest of the class awaited, most of them thinking that Harry had been carried off to be eaten.

Sliding off once they'd landed, Harry carefully removed the bird and handed it to Draco, who grinned happily and hugged him tightly. Hagrid had come over and demanded to know what Harry had been thinking, climbing on a wild creature like that. Shrugging, he asked if class was over.

-----

End chapter 17

Eh. I figured some of you would kill me if I didn't put in the cheesy Buckbeak scene, and I must say I enjoyed warping it to my own designs. Review if you like what you're reading! Or just don't want to answer your door at 3 in the morning to find me standing there with a bread knife with your name on it….hehe.


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

Tugging a lock of hair apart from the rest, Luna smoothed it with her fingers before dividing it into 3 parts and beginning to braid them together. Millicent winced when the blond pulled too hard, and got a soothing rub where the hairs had been strained.

"Thanks for doing this for me." Millicent said awkwardly, shifting slightly. Vincent had asked her to go with him to Hogsmeade, and she had wanted to put some extra effort in her appearance but none of the Slytherin girls knew how to braid hair properly. At the moment there was a crowd of green-uniformed girls gathered behind the Ravenclaw watching her every move and copying it on their own hair and each other's.

Pausing to take a sip of her rum bottle, she passed it to Pansy when the other girl sat next to her, having just come in from a study session in the library. "Who are you going with, Pan?" Millicent asked, applying a second coat of purple nail varnish with care.

"Oh, Draco asked me but we're just going together for the sake of not going by ourselves, if you know what I mean."

"Hmm, that makes sense. Is your wrist feeling better, by the way?"

"It still twinges every now and again, but besides that it is coming along nicely." Pansy handed the bottle back to Luna, who passed it on to some of the older girls who hadn't managed to bag a date and were therefore depressed and in need of liquid comfort.

------

Harry wandered out of one of the many shops selling candy, a Blood Pop in his hand. He licked it and continued to window shop for Christmas presents. Sure, it was only November but there was no harm in doing it early.

He was about to ask a shopkeeper how much a certain book was when a surprised voice asked, "Harry?" From behind him. Turning around, he found the owner of the voice to be someone he didn't recognize first off, but then the features began to look familiar.

"Leonard!?" Sure enough, his friend from the Orphanage was standing right there, wearing a wizard's robe. "W-what-how-what the _hell_?!"

"Heh, nice to see you too." Leonard winked and moved forward to hug him. Harry hugged him back tightly after a moment.

"Sorry, I am happy to see you, but I'm also really surprised. I mean, weren't you living in-"

"I was, but my adopted-parents got killed in a plane crash a couple years ago and I got sent back to the damn orphanage, only to find that you weren't there!"

"Yeah, I got adopted about 2 years after you left me there all by myself."

"Hey, I didn't _ask _to get adopted, and what was I gonna say? Tell them that I wanted to stay in a literal prison? I don't think so."

"Yeah, whatever. So, where do you go to school, then?"

"I'm being home schooled since my current family can't afford Hogwarts. What about you?"

"My parents left money to pay for my school bills, so I'm covered. Do you want to get some coffee so we can catch up officially?"

"Yeah, sure. Do you have a place in mind?"

---------

End chapter 18

Yeah, it is short and pointless. Guh face lands on keyboard I am sooooo tired.


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

Just as he was exchanging addresses with Leonard for future correspondence, Harry felt something rub against his leg. Looking down sharply he found Asmodeus curled around his foot, tail flicking idly back and forth. Resisting the urge to squeal in happiness, he calmly reached down and lifted the now-purring cat into his arms. Running a small hand through his fur, he cuddled his 'pet' to his chest and murmured endearments and how much he'd missed him. The sound of Leonard clearing his throat brought him out of his haze of happiness and he blushed brightly before letting his friend know that he'd be in touch and that he needed to go before he missed the train back to school.

Black eyes narrowed in thought as he watched his petite friend's retreating back slowly fade into the graying scenery. Harry really hadn't changed too much…still the same fascinating puzzle he'd been when they'd first met. And he had a feeling that the overly-friendly cat he had been cradling with almost more love than strictly normal was a clue of some kind in finally understanding the brunette.

-------

The Slytherins proud to call themselves Harry's friends could only stare as he sat across from them, fidgeting anxiously while his pet-_was it just them or was the cat even bigger than usual?-_purred happily beside him, occasionally rubbing his head affectionately against his master's knee. Normally, this wouldn't be any cause for undue interest, but the fact that Harry's face had been a rather attractive shade of red the entire ride was odd enough that they were doing everything they could to find the cause short of asking him outright, which wasn't the way Slytherins operated so it was out of the question.

"So, uh, what did you do in Hogsmeade today, Harry?" Blaise finally asked, twisting his fingers in his lap without realizing it. Harry blinked and looked at him. Seeming to have processed his question, he replied, "Actually, I ran into an old friend I didn't think I was ever going to cross paths with again. And Raito came out of hiding again, too." He punctuated his remark by running a hand through the white fur of the feline spooning his side. The purring increased and a rough tongue flicked at his fingers when they passed close enough to his mouth and his yellow eyes seemed to wink at the other occupants of the compartment. Daphne stared before wiggling her fingers in a sort-of wave. It definitely winked that time, and then it snuggled closer to Harry's too-thin thigh and fell asleep. Scratching his pet's ears, Harry asked his friends about what they had done and what they had gotten at Honeyduke's.

When the train jerked to a stop at the school's station, they had just barely run out of things to say about their activities and were therefore able to launch into various coping methods they would use for when they were the one's studying for OWLS.

"And we'd have to take regular and structured breaks and re-arrange our sleeping schedules so that-" Blaise just warming to his subject when Luna floated over to their group, a tall blond man by her side along with a blushing Cedric with Ginny Weasley rambling about some all-girl Quidditch team named the 'Holyhead Harpies' or something, hand firmly wrapped around his forearm. She trailed off when she saw Luna skip over to the group of Slytherins, dragging an unfortunate Raphael behind her. How the hell he had gotten past the school's powerful warding spells was still unknown to them. All she knew was that she had been let into the Ravenclaw dormitories to pick up Luna and had ascended the steps to her room, she'd found Raphael sprawled on her bed watching in amusement as she scurried around trying to get herself together before the train took off because she just might have spent her usual primping time teaching eager Slytherins how to braid hair. When she saw Ginny she'd rushed over and hugged her tightly before skipping off again to grab a purse and the lethargic doctor off of her bed. They'd then made a mad dash to the train, and tripped into a grand total of 38 large and muddy puddles, just barely boarding it in time. Since there had been no empty compartments, they elected to spend the ride in the girl's bathroom (Cedric had blushed more than usual and protested strongly before a _look _from the doctor had made him follow them meekly inside) and had made themselves at home on the carpeted floor.

"Hiya, Harry!" Luna called, and pummeled him into a convenient puddle by accident. For a second all was silent, and then a cat hissed menacingly and batted at her with a wet paw. Raito had been napping peacefully in Harry's bag when a strange force had caused him to go from warm and dry to cold and wet (and was that mud daring to sully his pristine coat?!) in less than a second. He was _not _a happy kitty.

Then Harry laughed and cast a drying spell on him, cuddling him to his shaking chest while giving his blond friend a one-armed hug. She apologized for mucking him up with a proffered bottle of lager and a pair of wide gray-blue eyes. Shaking his head at her antics, he smiled at her friends and concealed his surprise at the sight of the glowing field of pure power surrounding the adult who had apparently accompanied them to the Wizarding village. Offering a now-dry hand he introduced himself and asked who he was.

Grasping the delicate hand, Raphael made sure to be gentle as he shook it and informed him that he was Doctor Raphael and it was a pleasure to meet him.

-----

Managing to excuse himself from the impromptu get-together in an abandoned classroom on the 'scary' side of the Castle, so named due to the amount of accidents and just general creepiness that it exuded most of the time, Harry sprinted as fast as he could to his dorm and into his bed where he knew Asmodeus was talking another of his naps. His room mates had gone to dinner and he was therefore alone for a precious hour. Bare feet making quiet swishing noises against the alternated rugs and patches of slate floor, he drew the curtain to the window closed on his way to his bed. Tugging off his clothes, he dug through his trunk in search of the large shirt he normally slept in. His friends all owned a proper set of pajamas, but he didn't find them nearly as comfortable and had declined Bronislav's offers to buy him some whenever he asked. Slipping inside his bed, he lay on his back beside the ball of fluff the Demon had curled himself into and began to run his fingers through his fur using just the tips so he wouldn't wake him inadvertently. Shifting, he curled his legs up to his chest briefly before sliding them beneath his coverlet and burrowing his face into his pillow, his only visible eye fixing on the blurry image the moon made through his curtains. Slowly he drifted closer to sleep, and was just on the edge when the hand he'd left buried in the demon's fur was gently moved by a human one and a large body crawled under the covers behind him, a sinewy arm curling around him and pulling him closer so they were comfortably spooning in the comforting warmth of his bed.

He was suddenly very aware of their bare legs tangled together and the gentle kiss being pressed to his shoulder where it had slipped out of his shirt. Burrowing his face further into his pillow to hide his sudden and unexpected blush, he tried to be casual while rubbing his foot against Asmodeus' calf. His blush brightened when he heard (and felt) Asmodeus chuckle, lips now occasionally touching the bumps of his spine close to his neck.

"Miss me?"

He removed his face from the pillow just enough to whisper, "Very much."

"Well, I'm sorry that it has been so long since I've been able to be with you. I nearly went crazy up there, all those months without you suddenly seemed too much to bear and I went AWOL and came here. If we find ourselves face-to-face with a screaming Lucifer tomorrow morning, I will not be surprised."

Harry giggled, shoulders shaking just slightly and he raised a hand to smooth his hair out of his eyes. He twisted himself around in a way that secretly made Asmodeus shudder and rubbed their noses together in an Eskimo kiss when he was facing him, knees curled up to his chest acting as a kind of make-shift border that Asmodeus vowed to move before the night was over. Bending his neck, he placed a proper kiss on Harry's smiling mouth and whispered, "Goodnight, love."

"Goodnight to you too."

They turned so their backs were to each other for about 5 minutes, neither feeling particularly sleepy. With a noisy rustling of sheets they turned back around and Harry's arms immediately wrapped around Asmodeus' neck and his arms pulled Harry even closer by encircling his waist.

Their mouths pressed together in a sloppy open-mouthed kiss and the shy tingly feeling that made the blood rush to his head, his cheeks in particular, came back full-force and he whimpered. One of Asmodeus' hands rose to cup Harry's head and he tilted it at a better angle, lips moving smoothly over his as he pulled him ever-closer. The breathless pants and little noises that spilled out of Harry's mouth were making a pleasant haze settle over his mind and he found himself forgetting just where he was and how young Harry was.

Sliding an arm down to the small of his back, he gave a tug and Harry laughed quietly into his mouth when he felt fingers brush his ticklish skin. Moving his hands to stroke at the skin of Asmodeus' face, he pulled his mouth away briefly to kiss his left cheek, paused to kiss his mouth, and then finished with the right. Feeling his face cupped in a set of large hands, he tilted his gaze up to meet his eyes and found a smile playing on his mouth.

"God, I love you."

-------

End chapter 19

I know you guys missed the boy on boy (I did too!) so here ya go! Review!


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

Harry slowly woke to the high-pitched ring of Draco's alarm, which not only woke their own dormitory every morning, but the entire series of passages reserved for the boy's dorms. Burying his face back in the warmth of his blankets, he tried to fall back asleep but he had a nagging feeling that something was different today. Thinking back he tried to remember what he had done yesterday, and had just remembered Leonard when a finger brushed his neck and he panicked for a second before realizing that Asmodeus had come to see him. Turning around, he made sure to tug the crack in his curtains closed before pressing his nose to Asmodeus' shirt and inhaling deeply. A dopey grin spread across his face and he kept his eyes tightly closed in case this really was a dream.

A lone finger smoothing his hair back from his forehead was reassurance enough and he opened his eyes to see a lazy smile directed at him and lips kissing his forehead.

He hadn't been this happy in a long while.

----

Dmitry felt a shiver run down his spine and he noticed goose bumps spreading down his arms. He wasn't cold, and found himself unable to think of any reason for the sudden onslaught of something that hadn't happened since he was a normal human. Shrugging it off, he re-arranged his parchments for that morning's students. 3rd year Slytherins; his favorite.

Smacking his head several times on the desk's hard surface, he barely composed himself in time for the first students filtering in the open door. He had just begun to relax when the Potter boy strolled in, a white cat the size of a large dog following on his heels. There was no official rule against pets in class, but something about this animal made him want to curl into a little ball and hide. It might have had something to do with the large yellow eyes that had fastened on him the moment it entered and it had smiled a kitty smile, revealing sharp white incisors that almost blended with his coat.

Clearing his throat when he was sure there were no more stragglers, he took roll as calmly as possible before launching into their lecture on Werewolves. There were 5 minutes left when he saw the dreaded sight of a raised hand from his front-row harpies. It was the Bulstrode girl this time, and a glint in her eye warned him that the question would either be highly embarrassing or beyond his knowledge of the subject. Either way he was going to be humiliated by a girl half his 'age' (who was also taller than him) in front of her cronies. Trying to play it cool, he asked her to ask away and she lowered her hand coyly before launching into an explorative lecture on the lunar cycles in relation to normal wolves. It blew right over his head and he tried to ask her to stop and insist that he had no idea what she was talking about any more, but then the Potter boy decided to butt into her question and start giving answers and speculations. Her gaze drifted from Dmitry and she braced her chin on her palm while listening to Harry, and he took this moment to examine the cat accompanying the biggest thorn in his side.

Yellow eyes were already fixed on him, glinting in the sunlight pouring through the ample windows. He flinched when it licked its lips.

----

Albus discretely cast a sound-canceling bubble around his head, and calmly sipped his tea. Minerva charged around his office waving her arms and occasionally pointing an accusing finger at him while Severus followed close on her heels handing her conjured glassware to throw at the walls at will. It was a lot more amusing now that he didn't have to hear her whining about him inducting her grandson into his Order without asking her first or even letting her be present for the ceremony.

Setting down his tea, he removed the lid from a small tin and picked out a Lemon Drop. He was about to unwrap it when Minerva snatched it from his fingers and flung it out the open window. His lower lip trembled beneath his beard before he reached for another one and popped it into his mouth before she could grab it.

------

End chapter 20


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

Strolling down to their Care of Magical Creatures class, Harry discretely cast warming charms on himself and his friends. As they came closer, he began to lag behind them since his legs weren't fully awake just yet. When the group disappeared around a bend of the forest pathway, he felt a sharp chill enter the air that hadn't been there before. Long shadows cast by the twisted trees of the Forbidden Forest lengthened until the sparse patches warmed by sunlight were covered. Then the largest one seemed to ripple and writhe, suddenly morphing into Lucifer. Harry had been expecting him to be murderous, but he only appeared to be mildly exasperated. Asmodeus transformed back into his customary human body and moved slightly in front of Harry protectively.

"Lucifer." Asmodeus acknowledged, making the smallest of bowing movements with his head. The superior of the Demons inclined his head graciously in return and replied, "Asmodeus. How…_unexpected. _I was, after all, under the impression that you were faithfully following my orders and remaining in the Human's camp where you could provide me with first-hand information on the progression of the war. But you are here; quite a distance from where you are supposed to be and that displeases me immensely. I understand that your attachment to human present may have clouded your judgment, but please remember that I can and will punish you if you disobey me again without leaving any notice of where and why you are going."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Wonderful. Leviathan is taking your place at the camp, by the way, so you are excused to return to your customary duties."

"Wait-what? You're just letting me off the hook like this?"

"Yes. Believe it or not, I am capable of understanding the way your mind works, and you'd just ignore my orders anyway. Nice to see you again, Harry."

"The pleasure's all mine, sir." Harry smiled and Lucifer smiled back with a humorous glint in his eye.

"It certainly is." He sent a not-so-discreet smirk in Asmodeus' direction before disappearing without warning in a cloud of sulphur, taking the chill and shadows with him. Harry snickered and slipped his hand into Asmodeus' larger one, giving his fingers a quick squeeze. The leapt apart and Asmodeus transformed into 'Raito' when they heard somebody coming. Blaise came around the corner, brown eyes wide and concerned in his dark face. Seeing that his friend was fine, he rushed up and tugged him by his shoulder to the class's meeting place while chattering about why it was unsafe to dawdle in the Forbidden Forest and how scared he'd been for him.

'Raito' smirked and padded behind them calmly, happy that there were people who cared so much about his Harry.

--------

Potions class was somewhat uneventful, the only sounds being the soft bubbling of cauldrons and the slicing of ingredients. Carefully measuring out the correct amount of newt tails, he diced them according to the instructions posted on the board before adding them slowly while stirring the potion with his other hand. He was just adding the finishing bits of cat phlegm when his Head of House passed by on his inspection round and paused to lean over and peer intently at his. He shifted to the side to give the Professor a bit more room and accidentally bumped his hand against the scalpel, which punctured a vein in his finger and it began to spurt little drops of blood. Hissing, he picked it up and put it in his mouth, not noticing that his sudden movement had propelled a surfacing drop into the cauldron. All was still for a moment, and then the cauldron exploded, spattering nearly the entire classroom and its occupants with the growth potion.

Harry blinked as he felt himself grow at least a foot taller. Looking over at his seething teacher, he cowered a little at the glare he was subjected to.

"Erm…?"

"Mr. Potter, I'm going to ask that you explain just what you ate this morning."

"Oh, I don't eat breakfast most of the time."

"You mean to tell me that there was nothing abnormal in your blood that could have caused the potion to mutate in this way?"

"Um, no?"

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered something unsavory under his breath before straightening and vanishing the mess. He then cast the counter-spell to the growth potion and stalked back up to his desk. Looking over his classroom from his new vantage point, he concluded that the majority of the students had finished and there were only five minutes left officially of the class, so he dismissed them but made sure that the Potter boy stayed behind. Alone. Well, his peculiar pet cat (who had mysteriously remained untouched by the potion) had curled itself around the boy's leg and was eyeing him with its yellow eyes but he chose to ignore its attempts at intimidation.

"Mr. Potter, I would like to perform some harmless and legal blood tests on you, if you wouldn't mind. They will not hurt or invade your privacy in any way, I promise. I am merely concerned about the state of your health. You may alert your guardians of these as well if you so choose."

"Okay, I'm open to it. About how long will they take and when is your schedule free?"

"Tonight, in fact. They will take an hour or two at the longest. Not long at all, really."

"See you after dinner then? Here or…?"

"I'll wait for you here but we can conduct them somewhere more comfortable if you like."

"Nah, here is fine."

"Very well. You may go now."

His features were bemused for the rest of the day.

------

End chapter 21


	22. Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

Explaining to his friends that he had a meeting with their head of house, Harry barely managed to get there in time courtesy of Asmodeus dragging him into a closet to 'assert his ownership' or something. Rolling his eyes, he petted his cat head where it was peeking out of his bag and licking his fingers where they were wrapped around the strap.

Rapping his knuckles on the door, he waited for the summons before pushing it open and walking to the front of the class to settle on the conjured sofa when his professor indicated to it. When Snape made no move to talk, he spoke up, "Um, I've heard that Muggles aren't supposed to eat before a blood test, so I didn't either even though this is a magical one. Should I have?" Black eyes looked at him with interest, and at last he replied, "I knew I forgot to tell you something. Thank god you abstained from food, as if you had we would have had to re-schedule and my evenings are already packed as it is."

Harry grinned before asking, "So, what do I do? For instance, where are you taking the blood from?"

"Ah, your left arm would be opportune since it might feel a bit odd and I don't want to obstruct your studies by handicapping you."

"Alright." Harry hummed quietly to himself while rolling up the sleeve of his sweater, giving one last pat to 'Raito's' head before offering the expanse of pale skin to his Professor who had settled beside him with a handful of supplies between them. Wrapping a long-fingered hand gently around it, he squeezed until the blood stopped flowing to the fingers and wrist. Picking up a swab with his other hand, he whispered a spell and a clear liquid coated it. He dabbed at Harry's wrist thoroughly until it was coated with the cold fluid and then uttered a strange spell which made the skin become clear, revealing the spider web of blue veins that would normally be pumping blood his hand. Hearing Harry's gasp, he smirk-smiled and said, "It's freakish-looking, isn't it?" Harry nodded and asked what they did next. "I am going to make a tiny hole in your skin, so small you won't even feel it, and then the blood will be directed through the hole and into a vial where I will examine it." He swished his wand and a little stream of blood about the thickness of a hair came shooting up and into a glass vial Professor Snape had prepared.

"Are we done?" Harry asked, genuinely surprised at how small the amount of time had been.

"With the actual blood removal, yes. I'll let you know when I've finished examining the sample."

"Okay. When does the clear stuff go away?"

"It will be absorbed into your skin over the next couple of hours painlessly, and the clearness of your skin will vanish with it. If it is still there by tomorrow morning, come see me and I'll remove it."

"Thank you. Am I excused?"

"Yes. Don't forget to write the 3 foot essay on this morning's potion's uses and general construction."

"Yes sir." Harry rolled down his sleeve and shoulders his bag before heading out the door to the library for some studying before he had to comply with curfew.

---------

It was 3 in the morning and Harry was wide awake. Finding himself fascinated with the patch of clear skin, he had been about to light his wand to admire it some more when he'd headed to his dormitory when he discovered that it glowed in the dark. It was just starting to fade, and Harry decided that since he wasn't sleeping he might as well do something useful and had commenced writing his DADA paper that was due next month.

It was finished an hour later and he slid gracefully out of bed and got dressed as quickly as possible. He then tiptoed down the stairs, wondering where Asmodeus had wandered off to. The fireplace flared as he walked past it and he smiled to himself at the Castle's kindness, stroking a hand along her walls in thanks. Looking around the dim common room, he jumped when he saw 'Raito' curled into a ball on the floor looking at him with a sort of smile on his furry face.

Sprawling down beside him on the carpet, he reached out blindly to pet him and found it caught between human ones and kissed. He turned his head towards the fire in order to hide his sudden (and embarrassing) blush from him since he knew he would be mercilessly teased or snogged if he saw it. Possibly both.

His mental ramblings were interrupted by sneaky hand curling under his hip where it rested against the floor and yanking it so he was wrapped tightly in long arms. Sighing in resignation, he shifted into a more comfortable position and asked what was up.

"Nothing, I just missed you is all." Harry laughed and replied, "I didn't say you couldn't sleep with me, you know. I know the fit has become a bit tighter, but we can always enlarge the bed if it's not comfortable."

"I know that, but I didn't want to intrude on your alone-time with the glowy thing on your wrist."

"I prefer alone-time with you." Harry purred, stroking the nearest arm and leaning his head back onto his shoulder to kiss his cheek coyly.

Asmodeus laughed somewhat nervously and hoped that he would be able to dredge up some massive self-control.

----------

The Head Table provided the Headmaster with a perfect vantage point to watch Mr. Potter from, and he had thought that it was unnoticeable to anyone else in the Hall. He had apparently been wrong since every time his blue eyes landed on the boy, he found a pair of yellow eyes glaring so ferociously at him that he was actually beginning to consider the pet a threat to his well-being and peace of mind. And it wasn't just in the Great Hall, either. He could no longer even try to follow the boy because the infernal cat would hiss at him until the boy started to look for the source of its annoyance, and then he would have to dredge up some plausible excuse for being in an area where he was allowed, but had no business wandering.

Not to mention the unnerving thought that the boy just might have already figured it out and was just playing with him for his own twisted amusement. The idea was surprisingly plausible considering what scant information he had deduced about the boy's personality.

----

End chapter 22


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

Eyeing the vial of Potter's blood resting innocently on his coffee table, he tried to will away the sneaking feeling of dread every time the fire caused it to reflect the dazzling array of colors that certainly did not belong in a Human blood sample. He'd intended to examine it properly that afternoon when he was finished grading essays, and had set it upon the table absently before leaving to organize his parchments. Upon his return, the light of the room had shifted due to the curtains having been drawn by the house elves and the fireplace lit. A thin blue-ish aura appeared and disappeared depending on the shifting of the flames in his grate.

He was still watching two hours later, mind drawing a blank slate on a solution to its state.

----

The transfigured bunny on his desk seemed to cower when its red eyes landed on 'Raito's yellow ones, a sort of squeak coming out of it as it attempted to hop the hell out of there (I really need to stop with the 'hell' jokes), just barely being caught by Harry before it reached the door. Once he had begun stroking its long ears it had calmed down, fur lowering from where it had stiffened up in its panic. 'Raito' continued to watch it where it had taken his place on his 'master's' lap, occasionally flicking out his tongue and wondering how many days he would have to sleep on the floor if he ate it.

Professor still hadn't recovered from the realization that Potter was capable of transfiguring a glass of water into a fully functional rabbit, and was therefore not prepared for him to repeat the stunt, only with the rabbit in roasted form and to see him present it to his bizarre pet with the disturbingly clean fur. The original assignment had been to transform an aquatic animal into a rodent, and each student had been given a glass of water into which she had been passing out goldfish when she'd heard a different incantation than was written on the board, one even she hadn't heard since her days at University, and saw a large white rabbit balancing precariously on the glass before the boy had kindly set it on a clear section of his desk. Gathering herself together, she'd pronounced the correct incantation to demonstrate what they were supposed to be doing and then went back to her desk to ponder the boy's worrisome amount of advanced knowledge, and to formulate an excuse to subtly interrogate but he'd probably see through it anyway. Damned clever Slytherins, nothing ever got past them for very long.

She began to nibble on her nails without realizing it, completely missing the smirk Harry shot her while his fingers combed through the rabbit's fur and 'Raito' happily munched on his snack.

---

He was now unable to monitor the Potter boy without getting caught, and his excuses when he was were running low and the boy had started to smirk at him in a way that was eerily similar to a certain Slytherin who had turned out a bit worse than could be hoped for, and that was perhaps almost as unnerving as the knowledge that it was apparently impossible to place any kind of spying device on the boy as well. God knows what that kid could be doing, and he had no way of getting him caught! It was frustrating to the point of being physically painful. He now had a near-permanent migraine that made him very disagreeable, and Minerva dared to scold him for being so explosive with the worried staff. Even Filch wouldn't brave uttering a word in his direction, and the students might notice this soon which would be very bad for his image as an ineffable grandfather figure incapable of ruffling.

Taking a sip from his spiked Pumpkin juice, he resorted to observing the Weasley twins attempt to steal food from Hermione Granger without getting caught and failing miserably. Suddenly an idea occurred to him and he hid his smirk carefully in his beard lest Minerva catch it and pester him needlessly.

-------

End chapter 23

Ahh! It is short! cries but hey, an update is an update right? knife is flung at head eek!


	24. Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

Turning the page in his book, Tom tried to focus on the words swimming across his vision. He had been unable to concentrate ever since Severus had left early that morning and it was beginning to grate on his patience, making his fingers grip the cover of the book tight enough to crack the stiffened leather cover. Wiping off the now powdered gilding from his hands onto the cheap sofa, he cast about for something else to do. With a start he realized what was wrong with him.

He had cabin fever, and he needed to get out into the crowded and polluted spaces as soon as possible! Sending a longing look at his fireplace, he finally gave into the temptation and activated the floo, pulled on a pair of Muggle sneakers (they were the only shoes he'd been able to find, disgusting as they were), and stepped inside. Calling out the password for London, he disappeared in a flash of itching green flames.

Tumbling out in a grimy Wizarding pub's upper floor, he nodded to the female attendant sizing him up appreciatively and descended the creaking stairs to the main floor and strolled out into the open bar. Pushing on the glass door covered with greasy handprints, he stepped into the dull fog of London.

--------

Batting at the hand teasingly tugging on his hair, Draco attempted to concentrate on the Poltergeist section of his DADA text book while Pansy mercilessly continued the torture known as 'braiding' on his lengthening hair. The library was freezing in the December weather, and the frigidity had chased even the braver Ravenclaws back to their dormitories to study instead of the customary library.

Since there was a limit on how many books he could check out, Draco had resigned himself to the cold (Madam Pince's supersonic ears would pick up the incantation of a warming spell should he attempt to cast one within her sanctuary) and Pansy's pestering. Scribbling down some drivel for his paper, a couple facts, and then more drivel since he really couldn't be bothered to actually do what the Professor had requested and he was done. He almost started to celebrate when he remembered the Potions assignment that he most certainly could not bullshit his way out of. Groaning into his hands, he winced when Pansy gave his hair a tug for moving so much, and picked up his quill to start making an outline of the stuff he already knew and the remainder of details that would need to be gleaned from outside sources.

He was halfway done and Pansy had long-since finished the mass of tiny braids covering his head when Harry came sauntering in with his weird cat half-hanging off his shoulder, his legs being supported by Harry's arm. He looked surprised to see them and grinned happily before settling himself down across from them and unpacking his materials.

Almost as an afterthought he said, "Nice hair, Drake."

Draco glared.

------

Standing on her toes, Maggie managed to snag a glass out of the ridiculously tall cabinet and set it carefully on the kitchen counter before opening the icebox and pulling out the suitably chilled champagne and then some orange juice so she could make a mimosa. Sure, drinking alone was somewhat depressing but what was a girl to do?

Taking a sip, she made sure to grab the bottle before leaving the hotel's kitchenette and settling on the mass-produced sofa in front of the telly, and tried not to focus on the pale yellow walls, pale yellow carpet, and tan furniture and drapes. Flipping through the channels until she found 'Working Girl', she took a bite out of the ice cream carton and tried to pretend she wasn't depressed.

4 hours later, at about 2:00 a.m., there was a loud knocking on her door. Jerking awake from her sprawl on the now-stained sofa, she hastily wiped the thin stream of drool from her chin and half-hobbled to the door. Attempting to peer through the peep hole at her very unwanted interruption, she soon gave up when her eyes refused to focus properly and just opened the door. Ingrid smirked at her, immaculate as always in a green pleated skirt and velvet jacket covered in pearls. Maggie blinked when she realized that there was a thick braid over her shoulder, and it looked natural. It simply wasn't fair how some girls had so much beautiful hair to do with as they pleased.

Realizing that she was staring for no apparent reason and consequently being very rude to somebody that really wouldn't hesitate to use her hamstrings as wall decorations, she quickly stepped aside and asked if she would like to come in. Since she was too busy looking at her feet in shame she missed the sight of Ingrid rolling her eyes at her antics and stepping gracefully inside to settle a hip against her counter for balance.

"So, uh, what event has caused you to give me the pleasure of a visit?" Maggie asked, trying to regain as much of her dignity as was possible when dressed only in a pair of mismatched socks and one of Vladimir's shirts that he'd been kind enough to loan her until she had a chance to buy some decent clothes. Never one to mince words unless she had assassination in mind, Ingrid related that the Malfoy family files had been tampered with by a strange man several months earlier, and they had not sounded the alarm when she felt the foreign magic of necromancy practiced. Having become curious, she had checked the files and discovered that the Malfoy's previous number of children had gained one, and the girl had an identical magical signature to their deceased oldest daughter which meant that the man who had intruded upon her work place was, in fact, a necromancer and needed to be tracked immediately before he did something unsavory.

"Are you giving me a job?" Maggie finally asked, the information being mentally filed away for later panicked examination.

"Yes, and I would appreciate it if you start later this morning. I will pay you twice what you charge if you catch him before 6 months have passed."

Maggie's eyes widened and she spluttered slightly, not quite knowing what to say when offered that much money. "Uh, yeah, okay. Where do you want him when I get him?"

"If it's not too much trouble, Nurmengard would be lovely."

"That is no problem. See you in 6 months!" She snapped a salute and opened the door for her when she saw her get up and head towards it.

"I look forward to it. And remember, if you can't find him in 3 years, let me know."

"Got'cha."

-------

End chapter 24

Hehe, still no blood test info!


	25. Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

Having performed the usual spellwork, he waited for the information to surface on the charmed sheet of parchment resting beside the vial of shimmering liquid impatiently, pacing backward and forward in his private rooms. He'd just made his 8th round around the room when his door opened and Minerva stepped in, face obscured by an enormous stack of books she was carrying. Smiling a little inside at the sight of her, he flicked his wrist and moved the books to the coffee table.

"Minerva, I wasn't expecting you until later." He received a wry smile And she pecked his cheek as she passed him to seat herself on his sofa.

"Well, I found a bit more on blood tests than I was expecting, what with the books disappearing left and right and I wanted some extra time to look over them with you."

"Alright. Which one caught your eye most?" He asked, sending a parting glance at the still-blank parchment before settling beside her.

"Well, this says that…" She dug out the largest of the tomes and opened it over her lap to a page marked with a ruffled quill.

--------

The frosty windows gleamed in the light of the fireplace and Igor allowed the peaceful sight to calm him somewhat, and he needed all the calm he could find considering what he'd just been put through.

The Lestranges had visited again to inform him that they were taking the boys out of school for a two-month holiday in Finland to see some obscure relatives. After that 5 minute announcement they had spent the next 2 hours telling him all about their family and their friends, and his promotion, and whatever else came to mind.

He had a horrible headache and was beginning to think that he might not be able to do any paperwork for at least a week.

-------

End chapter 25

OMG! I had a total attack of writer's block today, guys. I'm really sorry. Tomorrow's will be better I promise.


	26. Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

The Christmas decorations went up at a rapid pace as December progressed, and the students began to feel the first stirrings of excitement as the winter holidays grew ever nearer. Professors resignedly accepted the sloppy assignments and tried to keep their minds on a blessed 2 weeks with no students in sight since this year the school had not permitted any to remain over the holidays.

Harry was profoundly grateful that no more mysterious 'family problems' had occurred to prevent him from spending his first Christmas with all the members of his increasingly strange family. His father had owled him earlier that morning at breakfast with the news that he, Sirius, Regulus, Maalik, and some other friends of his were going to be there for the holidays and that he missed him and was looking forward to seeing him there.

Stepping gracefully inside the Potions classroom, he made sure to send a significant look to his Head of House, reminding him of their deal to remain close-mouthed regarding the disturbing results his blood test had finally revealed over a week after the examining spell had been cast.

Apparently it was unlike anything else ever recorded, but had a strong resemblance to the congealed blood of a dead body that had been preserved through magic, and an unidentified creature that had burst through the windows of the Department of Mysteries old building in the 18th century. The creature had come out of nowhere, seeming to appear in a cloud-like formation over the massive skylights that had always been flooded with light from the upper world. Its wings had snapped and its blood had coated every surface in the room except a certain artifact known as The Veil that had been discovered in a plain of seemingly endless mists. The team of 18 wizards sent to first explore the plain had returned only 3 in number, with the Veil floating behind them by magic.

All of them had committed suicide exactly 9 days afterwards, their blood splattered in the shape of a 5 pointed star.

---------

Collapsing into the nearest compartment after an exhaustive search for an empty one to commandeer, he smiled innocently at the Weasley twins and their lackey, Lee. They stared back for a second, seeming to have become momentarily paralyzed. And then smiled back simultaneously, leaning forward slightly so they loomed over him in a more apparent way.

Had Harry been anyone but himself he would have high-tailed it out of there before you could say 'quidditch'. But being who he was, he smiled serenely on and removed his current book from his bag to while away the hours until he reached the station where his family would be waiting for him. Asmodeus had fallen asleep hanging out of his bag several hours earlier when he'd been waiting with his friends to join the train before the crowd had separated him from them. He purred every now and then in his sleep, claws flexing which meant he was most likely dreaming about hunting something furry and delicious. His became more genuine and he turned the page of his E.A. Poe book, eyes attentively following the words as they spun a story for him. Luna had recommended his work and since he had liked everything she'd suggested so far he had requested it from an adoring Madam Pince. Since the library didn't have any Muggle books, much less fiction, she had ordered it from a Muggle library system and he had attempted to pay her for her troubles but had been rebuffed until he gave up.

After about an hour of silence which had been peaceful for Harry and awkward for the Gryffindors sharing with him, Lee spoke up, "So, Potter, is it?"

Looking up to meet his eyes he kept his expression pleasant and voice neutral as he replied, "Yes. Harry Potter and you are Lee Jordan who announces the Quidditch games right?"

"Yeah! I haven't seen you at a game before though. How'd you know?" Harry decided that he liked the black boy after careful scrutiny of the colorful aura bouncing around him with the tiniest of movements.

"Yeah, but my friends go and they tell me everything so I might as well have gone myself." He laughed before asking, "So how did you get the job? Does it pay or are you considered free slave labor or something?"

Lee laughed as well and replied, "Nah, no pay. I don't mind though, cause it means I can yell at people without them beating the stuffing out of me later. Really, it relieves stress like you wouldn't believe."

"Oh, I believe you. There have been plenty of times when I'm sure a little productive screaming would have been useful."

Against their will the Weasley twins sniggered but sobered immediately when Lee raised an eyebrow at them. George coughed and sat up a bit straighter, Fred doing the same beside him and then they both folded their hands in their laps at the same time. It looked rehearsed and Harry hid a smirk by flipping his hair back over his shoulder to cover a half of his face.

"Potter, we must ask you something that's been bothering us for years…"

"And it's a bit personal so we really hope you don't take offense..."

"But we really must know if…"

"You are any relation to the Marauders?"

Harry blinked.

"If I'm related to the what?!"

-----

End chapter 26

Enjoy! I know its late (understatement of the year) but I spent the whole day working and then doing some other important stuff (cough essay writing cough) so this was shoved to the bottom of my priorities.

Please forgive your careless servant! (bows)


	27. Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27

"The Marauders." Fred repeated helpfully, hazel eyes entirely too innocent.

"I heard you, but I don't know what Marauder is."

"Oh." George looked disappointed, seeming to droop in his chair. "We just thought, since we got a picture of them, that you looked a bit like Prongs and wanted to be sure that something as exciting as a second-generation prankster wasn't hiding right under our noses."

"I'm sorry." Harry said, hiding his uncertainty expertly. Hadn't Sirius addressed his father by 'prongs' once? And been called 'padfoot' in return? Deciding to chance it, he asked, "Was one of the other ones named Padfoot?"

They perked up and Lee rolled his eyes beside them. Harry picked up a very faint mutter of "Here we go again."

"Yeah! It was Prongs, Padfoot, Moony, and Wormtail!" he was pretty sure Fred was responsible for that outburst.

"Well, then I just might be related to them. Why do you ask?"

The expressions on their faces were priceless, and Harry made a mental note to buy a camera as soon as possible so he could take irritating candid pictures of his nearest and dearest. Feeling the train coast to a stop, he announced that anyone in the car that wanted to meet the Marauders was welcome to follow him. Shouldering his bag, he exited the compartment with one last significant look at the Gryffindors. They quickly grabbed their stuff and ran out after him and just caught up with him on the border between the Muggle and Magical stations.

James looked up from the pigeon he'd been feeding when he heard someone approaching and smiled at his son, taking in his slightly thickened frame and added height. Thank god the boy was at least growing.

"Harry! Your other guardians will be here any minute. Vladimir just got hungry and then they all just abandoned me here to wait for you." He pouted a little inside when he considered his own empty stomach. Then he noticed the three older boys staring at him with something like awe from behind him and began to feel uncomfortable. Fidgeting with his hands, he asked, "Uh, Harry would you like to introduce your friends?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, these are the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan. They're in Gryffindor and we ended up sharing a compartment. I really hope you don't mind getting introduced and everything…"

"No, not at all, not at all!" James offered a hand to the closest red-headed clone, cheerfully proclaiming that he was James Potter, but they could call him Prongs if they liked. It was quite unexpected when, as one, the twins fell to their knees and embraced his legs tightly, crying out declarations of love and admiration.

"Um…?" He looked to his son for an explanation but just received a shrug in return.

-----

Entering the meeting place AFANASEI had stolen from the Vampires so many years earlier, she took in the abandoned hall and the thick of coating of dust without so much as a blink. It had been years since the room had seen a proper battle, and yet nobody had bothered to clean the old remains of bones of forgotten soldiers, not to mention the blood stains that seemed to cover everything with a thin sheen of rust colored filth.

Waving her hand she watched the upturned furniture scattered about, some in pieces went back to their traditional places and putting themselves back together as they went. With a final twitch of her fingers the film of dirt and various unknown substances (she stubbornly kept her mind from wondering just what she was vanishing other than the obvious blood) disappeared, revealing the elegant wood patterning the words upon which they had founded their entire organization.

_Animus Eternus Vadum Umquam Subsisto. _The words that had started it, all the fighting, the peaceful times as few as they may have been, and finally the almost family they now were. Shaking her head slightly to remove such depressing thoughts, she strolled the expanse of the room to reach the other side, stepping behind a tapestry they'd been using to conceal one of the side doors for God knows how long.

Her boot crunched a skull stained with what looked like a mixture of brain fluids and centuries old blood into a fine powder when she accidentally stepped on it, and she wiped her boot on the ragged floor carpet in disgust. The shoes were brand-new!

Sort-of good mood officially gone, she stalked her way up a seemingly endless twisting staircase, only slowing to carefully side-step some particularly nasty piles of wreckage and the occasional slippery piece of rotting flesh. Reaching the top several hours later she stepped onto the platform cautiously, testing to make sure it would hold her weight before proceeding to the room on the left of the three lined up before her.

A blast of freezing hit her square in the face when she entered, carrying the stench of things left to die.

She grinned. She would catch the necromancer in far less time than Ingrid could have possibly foreseen.

-------

End chapter 27

Hope you liked it!


	28. Chapter 28

CHAPTER 28

Maalik came out of the pub with a sandwich wrapped in wax paper for James. The Black brothers were right behind him, chatting about some cousin named Bellatrix who'd invited them to come see her since she'd noticed that their magical signatures were in the area despite their deceased parent's orders.

Entering the train station, their eyes met the unexpected sight of James attempting to seat himself with 2 identical (and kind of tall) red headed twins clinging desperately to his thighs reciting…Shakespeare's sonnets? James looked uncomfortable but also like he was about to laugh, and a little distance away Harry's nose was buried in a book while a black boy with dreadlocks who looked about the age of the twins stood beside the smaller boy fiddling with his hair.

"Uh, guys?" Maalik asked, standing as close as he dared to the spectacle already drawing them disapproving looks from the other pedestrians. James looked at him like he was Jesus Christ or something and leaned forward as far as he could to make grabs at him while frantically whispering, "Help me!" Realizing that he wasn't willingly letting two underage students molest him, he sent sharp kicks to the lower backs of the twins.

Two howls of pain later and loosened fingers, James was safely attempting to hide behind the shorter healer. And he might have been taking advantage of the moment by putting his hands on Maalik's hips. He needn't have bothered, though, because they had spotted Sirius and tried to do a repeat performance. Try being the operative word because Regulus did not hesitate to kick them in the face viciously for daring to touch his 'property'.

The jolt to the brain seemed to have reawakened their sanity and they stood up quickly, brushing themselves off. Offering hands at the same time they recited, "It is with incredible pleasure that we have been introduced to the two of you by Potter. We have been fans ever since we first heard of your reputation and saw just what you managed to accomplish in your short 7 years at the most noble school of Hogwarts."

When what they had said processed, James and Sirius sent grins worthy of demons at each other. "Prongs, I believe we have a fan club."

"It would seem to be so, Padfoot."

-----

Entering their house, Draco side-stepped Julius' outstretched limb mean to trip him before heading upstairs to his room. He missed his friends already. Setting his floating trunk on the floor carefully to prevent scuffing, he began to unpack as fast as possible in an effort to make himself feel more at home. Hearing quiet foot steps enter in the open door, he sent a smile to his younger sister and scooped her up when she raised her arms to him. She was getting a bit too heavy for this to be as easy as it used to be, but he knew she needed the affection whenever she could get it. "Happy birthday, Sophie." He murmured into her blond hair, mentally upset about missing her 7th birthday. She smiled even though she knew he couldn't see it and chirped, "Thank you, Draky!" Giving a bounce in his arms, she made him release a slight 'oomph' before falling to the ground in a heap amidst her giggles.

"Yeah, yeah. Happy to see you too." He muttered, pretending to be irritated before returning to unpacking while she chattered happily about whatever came to mind. His ears perked up when she mentioned a tall man with hair longer than their father's who had brought a girl with him one day who looked just like Collette in the pictures to play with her.

When he asked where the little girl was now, she answered that she was sleeping in the room daddy had made for her close to mommy's, and then said that her playmate got tired easily and had really wicked looking scars all over her body like a puzzle. (A/N: Remember that the Dark Lord and his minions cut her into pieces and delivered her to the Malfoy house)

"Really? Am I allowed to meet her?"

"Yeah, I think so. Daddy just doesn't like people outside of our family seeing her. I don't know why, though, and he said he'd tell me when I'm older."

"Hmm. Alright, I need to change out of my school things, so you can either turn around or wait outside the door."

He was presented with the back of her blond curls and frilly white dress. Rolling his eyes, he slipped his shirt over his head and wondered if it was possible for him to slow the frantic pace of his thoughts.

---

Officially freezing, and menstruating on top of the cake of misery she'd baked for herself, Maggie trudged through the outskirts of what had once been a French Wizarding village, but was now little more than a copy of the other piles of rubble littering the once-prosperous countryside of rural France.

She may be immortal, but it sure didn't keep her any warmer. At least she didn't have to worry about catching something and dying alone surrounded by the unmarked graves of slaughtered innocents. Rolling her eyes at her increasingly morbid thoughts she picked up the pace, trying to reach the distant mountain range before the snowstorm hit. Abruptly she tripped over a protruding rock and fell flat on her face in the thin layer of soft snow hiding the thick ice and frozen ground beneath it.

A scream born of pure frustration shattered the muffling effect of the snow, echoing off the fragile remains of stone walls that had once been homes and buildings.

-----

Running a comb through the curled hairs of his beard, Albus' nimble fingers braided it before tying the end with a beaded multi-colored string.

Satisfied with the result, he placed his favorite smoking cap slightly askew on his head. With one glance at the mirror he exited his private rooms and made his way to the teacher's lounge they'd allotted to celebrate a student-free 2 weeks in. pushing the door open he received a nod from Pomona (Sprout), who had already made herself comfortable on a settee with a polished glass of champagne in her hands. Across from her Minerva sat beside Severus quietly discussing something to do with a peculiar blood test, Severus with a brandy and Minerva with rum over the rocks. Sinistra grinned something the Muggle studies teacher said and threw her head back to laugh loudly. Hearing the words 'Weasley twins' cleared up that mystery and he selected an arm chair on the other side of the room from Minerva next to Hagrid, whose large body had commandeered an entire sofa.

It was looking to be a pleasant evening.

---

End chapter 28

Review, my darlings!


	29. Chapter 29

CHAPTER 29

James admired the way his son's eyes lit up at the sight of the various dangerously questionable books his friends had sent him for Christmas. Sure, he was a little dark, but the Potters had been a family of dark wizards for centuries. It had been the extreme situation of a damned if you do, damned if you don't case of the Dark Lord Grindelwald to make them 'convert' to the light. James himself had always been firmly in the light ever since his tutor before Hogwarts had instilled a fear of anything dark or remotely gray, but his faith in the light side had begun to waver in the years following the massacre that had killed his wife and 2 of his best friends.

Taking a sip of his wine, he smiled when Maalik cautiously laid a hand on his knee. Before he could get shy and remove it he covered it with one of his own. Their relationship had been very slow to develop, and as impatient as he was, James didn't want to scare him away by moving too fast. Not to mention that he didn't know how Harry would react to his father moving on from his mother to the healer who was responsible for him being alive that very moment.

Since his head was starting to hurt, he pushed away his more serious concerns and wondered if there was any of the chocolate cake from earlier left over. For all their quirks, Harry's guardians could cook some incredible things.

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Exiting a cave dripping with slime of an unmentionable nature, Maggie blessed her inability to become ill again and again as she climbed the rocks that concealed the exit of where she had been forced to spend the night. Despite what it was, the slime was quite warm and seemed to repel curious animals that might have come sniffing around looking for a snack otherwise.

Reaching the top of the formation several hours later, she braced herself to prevent the strong winds from blowing her clear off the mountain and onto the sharp rocks forming a bed in the chasm she currently overlooked. Sending out a mental probe, she searched the area for human intelligence or any kind of magical residue. When it returned with the information that a very unusual signature had been here within the past week, she grinned and descended in the direction of where it had first disappeared.

Entering what looked like a more complicated version of Stone Hedge, she cautiously approached a smaller circle of fist-sized stones in the shape of an 8 pointed star with remains of blood splattered in the middle. It might have once formed runes, but the wind had destroyed any chance of her reading the spellwork performed at what was obviously the site of the Necromancy ritual itself. Now if only she'd gotten there earlier…

Setting her pack on the frozen ground after carefully stepping over the stones and into the star itself, she removed her tweezers and a glass vial with an Unbreakable charm on it. Removing some of the fine gravel and sand mixture that seemed to glitter in the stray rays of the sun through the heavy winter sky, she filled the vial and then replaced it in the case. Removing out another vial from the case of 4, she used magic this time to carefully transfer the remaining blood into the jar. Popping the cork on it, she strapped it to the canvas of the bag before zipping it closed and replacing it in her pack. She would test the blood as soon as she returned to civilization to see if the Necromancer had any magical or Muggle records.

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Noticing that a Human had tampered with his blood that was still on the mountain peak, he grinned. Leaving such a conspicuous clue had been risky, but the woman he knew to be tracking him wouldn't see the difference in accident and design.

Rubbing a hand over his eyes, faking exhaustion perfectly (sometimes he got bored of always being so alert), he wandered 'aimlessly' into Lucifer's private office. Green eyes glowered at him from underneath a fringe of black hair until they registered who it was.

"Mammon? What brings you to my office?" The tone of surprise may have been concealed, but when you've been around someone for 10,000 years or so you started to notice little things.

"Oh, nothing is wrong. I just wanted to let you know that the plan was completed successfully and without Him objecting. I am working on disposing of my tracker as we speak."

"Excellent." Lucifer purred, steepling his fingers on his desk like he always did when feeling accomplished.

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End chapter 29

Hey, it may be short but STUFF HAPPENED. So review, please!


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: Like, OMG! Chapter 30 already! This means I've spent a little over a month working on this installment…because I have no life and therefore nothing else to do with myself.

CHAPTER 30

Rolling over in bed and hugging the pillow tighter, Maalik tried to stay asleep for just a few more minutes. The adults had stayed up much later after Harry had been sent to bed, and maybe drunk a bit more than they should have since he had needed to carry James up to their shared room. He resolutely refused to think about the same warm body lying in a heap on the other side of the bed, soft and even breathing belying that he was still very much asleep. A small smile twitched at the corners of his mouth when he felt a leg brushing against his by accident and staying where it was, innocently nestled in the crook of his calf.

His feelings had been very confused towards the other man for quite some time, but ever so slowly things had started to make sense when he found the idea of living without him, of going their separate ways now that they'd done all that could ever be required of each other, more unbearable as the days went by. Watching the early morning rays of wintry sun move slowly across the floor as he waited for James to stir, he began to feel tempted to do it…just this once. Giving in several minutes later, he carefully turned to face James sleeping form and moved close enough to feel his soft breaths beginning to stir against a loose lock of hair that had fallen into his eyes. Brushing it away absently, he leaned even closer and ever-so-gently placed a kiss on his parted lips. Pulling back several seconds later, he opened his eyes (when had he closed them?) and jumped when they met sleepy brown ones, flecks of gold glowing in the sunshine that had invaded their room further when he wasn't paying attention.

Realizing that there was still a possibility that James hadn't caught him, he smiled innocently and said, "Good morning, sleepy head."

"Morning to you too. Though I must say the kiss was a far better greeting for this time of the day. In fact, I think it surpasses all the greetings I've ever received in my life so far. And I don't think you finished it just yet." Before Maalik could protest, a surprisingly strong hand slid around the back of his head and pulled him forward until their lips met in an equally soft kiss.

All the pieces, the little things that James had done so far that had been so confusing, began to make sense and he found himself kissing back. They probably would have continued like that (and suffocated to death) for the several hours if a small head hadn't poked around the door and cheerfully cooed, "Good morning, daddy!" before making a running leap onto the covers and landing gracefully on James' other side. He then grinned mischievously at them and announced, "Before you panic or have your heads explode from the amount of blood getting pumped to your faces to fuel those blushes, I would like to say that I am the last person who would object to you two finally getting yourselves together and on the same boat, so to speak. On the contrary, I would like to be the first to say congratulations and that if you hurt each other I will bring out my more violent side that I normally suppress for the sake of humankind's survival." He leveled what they thought to be an uncharacteristic glare at the both of them before relaxing his features into a lazy smile and politely asking if he could have some pillow because he may not be tired but their bed was more comfortable than his own and he had every intention of staying. Overall, James found his son's behavior drastically different than he would have acted if he had walked in on his own father kissing some random man he barely knew.

It was very suspicious, but welcome. Feeling the skinny body curl into a little ball behind him, he began to relax and hesitantly tugged Maalik a little closer so he could put his arms around him, eyes eventually falling closed again as he focused on sleeping off his hangover.

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Happily munching on an unknown root she'd dug out of the ground in boredom, she sidestepped a swing the troll currently attacking her made with his club and wandlessly vanished the threat to her good mood. Skipping over the cracks in the stone courtyard since she really didn't need a sprained ankle at the moment (the healing incantation for that one always slipped her mind at inopportune moments…_really _inopportune moments) and arriving at the rotting excuse for gates, she rapped her knuckles against the iron bands originally meant to hold the wood together. Hearing an ominous voice hiss "Enter", she pushed the doors open and began vanishing the disgusting messes from the entrance hall as she passed through it and to the bench originally meant for visitors. Finding it occupied by a snoring guard, she kicked him off carelessly with a steel-toed boot before commandeering the entire surface and pulling out an out-dated copy of the Quibbler from her rucksack. Hey, when you didn't need food you tend to pack some weird stuff that came in handy when you lived the way she did. A Vampire sharing the bench next to her with a trio of Hags raised an eyebrow at her choice of waiting activity and she stuck out her tongue. He grinned, yellow eyes catching the light and radiating a reddish glow beyond his eyelids, and turned back to his copy of 'War and Peace' by Leo Tolstoy. He went up in impressiveness in her personal scales, since anybody reading that particular work displayed an incredible amount of patience and perseverance. Then again, when you have forever to live you tend to not mind the passage of time as much as the mortals around you.

It was 2 hours later, and she was just finishing the Cross-Rune Puzzle, when a nasally voice announced on the dusty speakers bolted high above their heads amongst the spider webs, "Will Miss Magdalena Julia Dahl please proceed to room 852 on floor 8 for her scheduled appointment. If you are not there in the next hour and 5 minutes, your appointment will be cancelled and given to somebody else. Thank you." The intercom shut off, and Maggie stuffed the magazine back into her pack and shouldered it. After hearing who she was, a new respect gleamed in the Vampire's eyes and he almost looked…awed. Rolling her eyes, she gave in to the temptation and tore a scrap off the edge of her magazine sticking out of her pack's flap and scribbled down her telephone number with the Muggle pen stuck behind her ear for convenience's sake, she handed it to him with a smile before sprinting to catch the elevator doors. Squeezing herself inside next to what looked like a Norse warlock, she flashed him a glare when his hand wandered a little farther along her thigh than could be excused by the proximity. At the look in her eyes, a look that had preceded nearly all of her massacres performed while sober, he quailed and folded his arms tightly to his barrel chest, jostling an irritable High Elf in the process with long blond hair reminiscent of Lucius Malfoy. Sending him a placating look around the Warlock, she watched his stiff posture relax to a more non-worrisome state. Happy that the danger of the entire elevator full of not-so-innocent Creatures weren't going to get slashed to ribbons due to a PMSing Elf with a blood fascination, she turned her gaze onto the gleaming numbers displaying the passing of the floors. They were on floor 4 when the elevator stopped and a group of children with bat wings pushed forward from where they had been squashed into a corner of the elevator and into the hallway. One wizened old man with a drooping pair followed slowly, relying heavily on a cane that looked like a curved human spine preserved in yellow amber. His leathery wings also flapped slowly to hold him upright…sort of. The doors closed on the scene of him whapping an overly-energetic boy on the back of the head with his cane. He apparently wasn't as old as he looked, and had some sprightliness left in him yet. It brought a smile to her face to see the older generation taking such an interest in youngsters, and the Warlock was just starting to eye her appreciatively because of it before the elevator stopped on the next floor and he stepped out along with a red-headed woman with a wreath of flowers made of flames adorning her head. A little girl with blue hair clutched her hand shyly, a lolly in her mouth and a stuffed rabbit in her hand not occupied with squeezing all the blood from her mother's arm. Maggie sent her a friendly look and got a shy smile that revealed pointed teeth faintly stained purple from the candy.

She was now alone in the elevator with the High Elf who was apparently headed for level 14 if the button was any indication. The doors creaked open on floor 8 and she stepped out with a sigh of relief that she had survived so far without needing to regenerate herself.

"It was a pleasure to see you in person, Miss Dahl." The Elf called from behind her and she blinked, head whipping back around just in time to catch the smirk on his too-perfect lips and the amusement shining in his silver eyes surrounded by the shadow-markings that distinguished him to be of the tribe she had assisted in the civil war several hundred years ago when she was a newly made immortal full of aspirations and dreams…and most importantly hope. Now she was just a burned-out old lady with just a smidgeon of spit-fire left in her that was apparently just enough to fool people into mistaking her for a younger person. She wasn't looking forward to what would happen when the last embers of spirit died inside her and left nothing but an empty shell bent on duty.

Her boots clicked on the stone floor and she passed by door after door, each marked with numbers in varying states of decay and some that looked like they'd been sloppily painted on with some spare black paint, and she was sure room 829 was written in a sharpie or permanent marker. Finally arriving at her destination a good half an hour later, she knocked on the door and announced that she was coming in whether they liked it or not when no answer was forthcoming. Stepping gingerly inside, she noticed that the occupant of the chipped and tilted desk was fast asleep, a shock of black hair streaked with gray\ pillowed in crossed arms clad in a fuzzy sweater with intersecting stripes of navy, bronze, and crimson. Clearing her throat politely in an effort to wake him up, she received nothing. Not even a twitch. Sighing, she tapped the top of his head with two fingers. He snorted, shook slightly, and then sat up straight with perfect posture if you ignored the way his blue eyes were looking around for the source of what had awakened him. They finally landed on Maggie, taking in her enormous canvas pack hanging like a broken limb from her left shoulder, the furry hood covering her brown hair that had been hastily pulled back into a bun in an attempt to hide the signs that she hadn't exactly been able to shower for more than should be legal, a tattered gray dress peeking out from under the brown coat and ripped black nylons with more runs than cloth, and finally the steel-toed army boots that she'd filched off a carcass in the middle of some weird country called Iraq while their owner was sleeping. He had been a member of a terrorist gang so she didn't really care that she had technically robbed a complete stranger with no revenge plan to fuel her motive for having done so either.

"Hello Augustus. Long time no see." She stated, a hand coming to rest on her right hip as she leaned all of her weight onto her left and cocked her head reproachfully. He blinked before cautiously asking, "Maggie?"

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End chapter 30

Okay, people, this thing was an entire page longer than usual (don't ask how many words. I have no idea and don't want to check since I'm lazy like that) so I expect some appreciation. Or not. Its not like I'm getting paid or anything, so I kind of like the reviews my devoted cult is thoughtful enough to leave me  Okay, I LOVE the reviews. And PMs. So feel free to harass me at all hours of the night!


	31. Chapter 31

A/N: Quick question: does anybody else like Nat King Cole?

CHAPTER 31

"Yes, Augustus, it's me, Maggie, finally come to collect your head." Blue eyes widened and he sat up even straighter, if that was possible.

"Now, listen here Maggie-"

"Good God, Gussie! I was kidding!" she suddenly burst out, no longer able to restrain her giggles at his bewildered look of unease. He relaxed and started to laugh with her, shoulders shaking almost violently with the force.

"You really had me there." He finally gasped out, a wide grin on his aging face. She hadn't seen him since he was a young man, just starting out for the Ministry for Dark Magick. He'd had so much energy, words spilling from his mouth almost too fast to comprehend, as if he knew that his life was only a brief flash of something in the grand scheme of things and was determined to be memorable. Now his hair was graying and he had laugh lines and frown lines and lines for the sake of lines intersecting the planes of his once-smooth face. His eyes hadn't changed a bit, though, still sparkling with mirth at some unheard joke, and a malicious one at that. "Well, what are you standing on those tired feet for? Come sit!" He gestured grandly to a raggedy visitor's chair upturned in front of his desk. There was a rusty spring with a sharp point protruding from the seat of it and she winced at the thought of it pricking her derriere.

"I think I'll stand."

He looked confused, and then eyed the chair. Noticing its state, the beginnings of a frown creasing his forehead smoothed and he swished a wand that she could have sworn came out of nowhere in a quick slicing motion. The old chair vanished and was replaced with a blue sofa complete with a snoring cat and needle-point throw pillows. Sitting beside the cat, she began to pet it while collecting her thoughts of how exactly she was going to explain her situation to him. Deciding that the best course of action would be to simply place all her cards on the table, she raised her head and met his curious gaze squarely. "Gussie, I'm afraid I need a bit of assistance, and not the pleasant kind. If you don't want to help once I've explained the situation, I won't hold it against you. My opinion of you has always been very high and I don't think something like this would make me think any less of you."

"I understand. What is it that you need?" she could tell that she'd perked his interest as the air in his immediate vicinity had begun to shimmer slightly and the loose sheaves of parchment on his desk began to stir by themselves. Smiling despite herself and the situation, she replied, "I need help locating a necromancer that is no longer in the land of the living. If you choose to assist me, you will have to help me commit a ritual that will cause my spirit to separate from my body and enter the region commonly known to Mortals as Hell. You will then need to perform a séance 9 days later to ascertain whether of not I have caught him and further instructions on how to re-tie my silver cord so I revive properly. The entire thing will be in parts of 10 days, but spread out so it shouldn't interfere with your work too much. And remember that if you don't want this kind of spellwork floating around in your system that's fine. I can find somebody else. The only reason I am asking you first is because I trust you far more than some random medium looking for some excitement."

That was it. She had told him everything and now all she could do was wait for him to decide whether or not he wanted to risk setting off alarms in any non-dark magical community for several months after performing this kind of magic with her. What had she been thinking? Of course he was going to say no and now she would have to go all the way back to normal civilization and-

Before her thoughts could descend completely into despair she heard him say the unbelievable…

"Yeah, okay."

"W-what?!"

He blinked before seeming to realize what was going on. She was now on the receiving end of one of his diabolical facial expressions that he often used to scare co-workers and his boss shitless out of boredom or get rid of pesky customers. "Please, Maggie. You know that I never take vacations so I have several years worth saved up. They are practically offering to pay for me to leave the office for a little bit. And besides, I wanted some excitement and considering wiping out some gaggle of self-important imbeciles calling themselves Death Eaters or whatever. You're plan is far more interesting and right up my alley. When do we start?"

"Well, I was hoping for some time next week…?"

"Perfect. Did you want to meet up at a different location or come pick me up here?"

"Um, which is better for you?"

"Eh, here is fine. See you in-" He dug through his papers until he pulled out a ratty old calendar and perused it with a look of deep concentration on his features for a second or two before saying, "Does Thursday work for you, love?"

"Thursday is perfect." She smiled and he gave her one of his frightening grins.

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Pulling a sweater over his head, Harry tried not to concentrate too much on the way he knew Asmodeus was watching him from his place on their shared bed (which was getting a bit cramped with Harry's increasing size). Sufficiently covered, he met his boyfriend's gaze and moved closer so he could climb back onto the bed and finish the last chapter of the Satanic Bible, which was apparently written by Muggles who had never even seen the tail of a demon in their entire pathetic existence. Read as a stand-alone instead of guide, though, it was quite interesting and he was almost sorry that it was over. Closing it and setting it on a nightstand already looking ready to collapse under its enormous stacks of books on various topics, he turned to kiss Asmodeus' nose for no particular reason other than he felt like it. His move was intercepted, though, and the shivers that had made him don the sweater in the first place were replaced by comforting warmth. Against his will a purr bubbled up in his chest and he wrapped his arms around a neck twice as thick as his own fragile one and curled his body around the new source of warmth flooding his still-frail body. An arm slipped behind the backs of his knees and used that as leverage to flip him on his back so the Demon could hover over him, a soft smile on his mouth before he put it to other use.

Harry had just wrapped a leg around one of his calves and begun to move his foot back and forth over the muscle when someone knocked on his door. Cursing under his breath, Asmodeus transformed back into the form of Harry's lovable but freakish cat and pretended to fall asleep on Harry's pillow. Straightening his clothes, he opened the door and saw Vladimir just raising his hand to knock again. Smiling he asked what was up and Vladimir replied that they were going out for several hours and wouldn't be back until about 9.

Closing his door after he'd left, Harry sent a devious smirk at his cat.

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End chapter 31

Hey look! Another long one!


	32. Chapter 32

CHAPTER 32

Sipping his coffee while perusing the stack of parchment on his desk detailing the various patients he would need to check up on, John found his attention drifting and his eyes following it until they landed on the small picture of Rael he had managed to snap before he'd gone on another one of his 'business trips'. The absence of his partner would have normally put a strain on the relationship, but lately he'd found himself entirely unable to appreciate the physical attributes of anyone he came across. It was a bit worrisome at first, but he had gotten used to it and tried very hard not to think of how many people would be looking at his Rael with the same adoration as him.

His door suddenly flew open and he was so startled that he jumped, the jerky movement causing him to slosh his coffee all over the bare skin of his arm from where he'd rolled up his sleeve. "Goddammit, Louise!" he shouted, sufficiently terrifying his newest and most inconsiderate secretary.

Realizing what she had partially caused, she rushed over and began dabbing at his reddened arm with a handkerchief while babbling apologies and a very strong desire to not be fired. Rolling his eyes he cast a numbing and cooling spell before vanishing the brown stains from his shirt.

"Don't worry about it, Louise. What do you want?"

"I um, well, there is a strange gentleman here to see you, sir."

"Send him in then!" He felt like throwing something, preferably Louise, out the window. Maybe he had CNUD (male PMS) because this level of mental violence was not something he was used to.

"Yes, sir!" She scuttled out, knocking over his lamp along the way (it had been a gift from his now-deceased grandmother) and causing it to smash for the fourth time that day. Rubbing his temples tiredly, he swished his wand so the pieces would flow back together seamlessly and it would lift itself back onto its place on the end table between the visitor's chairs in front of his desk.

He lowered his hand when he barely registered faint footsteps entering his office and saw out of the corner of his blurred vision (he needed to re-do the sight-correction spell that relieved him of needing to wear spectacles) a tall, male figure dressed in a gray tweed suit of Muggle style seat himself in the chair just barely closer to his desk. Patting down his pockets, he removed his glasses from his front breast pocket and slipped them on. The visitor smiled at him with a set of bleached teeth, but the cheer did not reach his eyes. He felt a previously unnoticeable shiver hovering over his skin strengthen and zing up and down his spine faster than he comprehend. Determined not to embarrass himself, he asked, "Hello, I am Healer John Wimberley and I run this hospital. Did you wish to visit one of our more dangerous patients or admit one?" It was practically the only reason anybody visited him anymore these days so it had become part of his welcome speech.

"No, I believe my mission is a bit more serious. Last month you returned after a lengthy and still unexplained holiday. From various sources I have learned that you spent a considerable amount of that time in the company of a disreputable tracker currently going by the name of Magdalena Dahl. You are not under suspicion since it is obvious that you were not aware of her wanted status and criminal records. Could you give us any information on her current location or status? Or did she drop any hints or even mention the word 'afanasei'?"

"Uhh…can I see your badge, sir, to ascertain that you are qualified to be asking me these kinds of questions?"

"Of course; it was rude of me to not reassure you sooner." He smoothly placed a gleaming Auror badge of the investigation division on the desk for him to observe, and he could see that his name was Achilles Washington.

"Alright." He handed him back his badge before explaining, "I have no idea where she is now, or any educated guesses. She pretty much disappeared immediately after the private investigation I was a part of to track down a dangerous patient who was now criminally so and needed to be dealt with by me personally. We didn't speak much except about the progress of the search, so I never heard her mention the word 'afanasei' over the course of our time together. If it's allowed, can I ask what her crimes are exactly?"

"She is a member of a terrorist organization that practices dark magic outside of the law and is distinctly anti-social. She is also suspected of having molested several children and routinely avoided questioning as to whether or not she was responsible. I can only express joy that you survived so much time with her alive."

John's eyebrows drew together. He had noticed that she was generally disrespectful of authority, but not to the point of being labeled anti-social and her penchant for remaining very close-mouthed about her personal life may had made him a little curious but not because it seemed like she had done anything disreputable. Maybe it was the man sitting in front of him who was the criminal-what the hell was he thinking?! Of course this man could be trusted! He worked for the ministry didn't he? And it was quite possible that they had been misinformed to Maggie's real identity or something.

"Thank you, Auror Washington. Is there anything else you need to ask me?"

"No, Healer. I am terribly sorry for this interruption of your schedule and for coming by so early but the Ministry would really appreciate it if you would contact my office if you hear anything or even see her again. A failure to do so will cause you to fall into bad light and for charges of sheltering the enemy from prosecution to be pressed against you, as well as a fine of 750 Galleons."

"I see." If they were fining that much they certainly were serious about catching this woman.

"Good day." The man stood and left as quietly as he'd come, replacing a hat on his head after Louise handed it to him, tripping over a snag in the rug on her way and consequently falling on her face.

"Thank you and the same to you." John replied automatically, mind not processing that he was now alone. This new information was troubling and he wondered if Maggie really was who they said she was. He may not have liked her, but she hadn't seemed the type and he was known for his ability to read people and hadn't been wrong so far. Not only was this bothersome, it was also a blow to his pride and he resolved to do some personal research.

Pressing a button on his desk, he called, "Louise, I would like some fresh coffee please."

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End chapter 32

Gah! It is so late today! Oh well. And sorry for it being a John-solo, but he has been so neglected lately that he deserves the attention.

Harry will re-appear tomorrow, people, so just be patient with your very confused author who is also over-worked and exhausted. She has also not eaten anything today from being too tired to move.


	33. Chapter 33

CHAPTER 33

His piano tutor was obviously trying not to show his frustration at the immense back-tracking Draco had apparently suffered from over the many months he had spent away from the instrument, and was trying to make him read the music sheets without success.

"I believe that is all we have to do today, Draco. I will see you one more time before you return to school, and then I shall be paying special attention to your progress over the summer holidays."

"Yes, sir. A House Elf shall escort you to the Floo." Draco piled his books together and placed the protective cloth over the ivory keys of their piano carefully before exiting the room to reply to an owl Pansy had sent him at 4 in the morning.

Making a running leap before flopping on his bed, he dug out the letter from where he had stuffed it under his pillow last night (his parents were having another of their spats with Pansy's parents so he didn't want to get in trouble talking to her) and tore off the brown paper protecting it from the snow that had been steadily falling for the past couple days.

His eyes bugged out and he immediately pulled out some parchment and began to write back as fast as he could. He hadn't even known her mother was pregnant!

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Holding the tiny little body that was her sister Bryony, Pansy wondered if they would be friends or if she would be one of those annoying younger siblings she always heard other children complaining about. Deciding that it wasn't worth the worry, she rocked her in her arms while moving around the room slowly so she wouldn't jostle her with the swinging motion. Settling on the edge of the bed her mother was currently sleeping on, she continued to stroke her sister's fine hair to prevent any discontented noises from her surprisingly strong lungs that could wake her mother. Persimmon was a notoriously light sleeper, and Pansy doubted that even exhaustion could cure her of that. Rolling her eyes when a little hand uncurled itself and batted at her hair hanging over her shoulder, she pulled it back with a free hand lest her sister decide to use it as a chew toy.

Hearing her father enter, she silently handed him his newest 'jewel' as was his annoying habit of dubbing her. "I'm going on a walk." She mouthed before disappearing out the door and taking the stairs two at a time until she reached the kitchens and buttoned her cardigan before heading outside for some air. The snow was soft, which was both good and bad because it tripped her up and softened her fall at the same time since she couldn't walk on top of it. Giving up after several feet of floundering, she wandlessly covered the snow of the grounds with ice thick enough to hold her weight that was set to disappear when she went inside. Since she was alone, she gave into her urge and began to sing a song she'd heard a long time ago and had always liked but could never quite remember where.

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His head was throbbing. That much Harry was aware of, but everything else seemed like a blur of faces, disjointed words, and heat. He supposed he must have a fever, since it was the only rational explanation that came to mind, but it was awfully inconvenient, what with the Christmas holidays ending in two days.

Feeling something blessedly (ha! I couldn't help myself) cool pressed to his forehead, he moaned a bit when it was removed. The coolness returned and he felt the covers shift while somebody got into the bed with him and wrapped a shockingly cold arm around the reddened skin of his hips. "I have some water, love. Would you like me to help you drink it?" Ah. So it was Asmodeus who was bringing the wonderful respite from heat. Nodding despite how much it hurt to have his brain fluids sloshing around like that, he raised his neck slightly, one large hand supporting it for him and also holding a glass of water to his lips. Drinking in slow sips to avoid choking, he dazedly wondered if Demons ever got sick.

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End chapter 33

Sorry it is short, but I been busy. Poor Harry-kins is sick 


	34. Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34

Finishing the water, he curled back into a ball and tried to figure out why he had a fever this bad. He hadn't eaten anything weird, hadn't left the house or even gone outside much, and had only been around his family for the past two weeks so…?

Giving up because his brain had started to protest being used so much when in this level of agony, he nuzzled the neck of his Demon and quietly asked if Demons ever got diseases or if they were just the ones behind them. He was treated to a monologue about how Demons got blamed for everything, with gratuitous concessions of which Demons actually _were _behind it and how it was the principle of everybody blaming Satan for stuff that wasn't his fault or even in his department and how he wished Humans would get a clue and do some research.

Seriously.

All you have to do to defend against a Demonic attack, no matter how severe or mild, is to quote the Word of God so Metatron could defend you. Harry found himself trying very hard not to laugh throughout the rant and got many half-serious glares for mocking him from an indignant Demon who was counter-acting all his bullshit about Demons not having souls or real emotions by the way he'd begun to run his fingers through Harry's hair carefully so as not to pull it while he rambled on, eventually landing on the subject of how a fallen Angel could have their wings repaired by a certain disreputable doctor who has been going by the name of Raphael. That caught Harry's attention and he asked, "Um, what does this Doctor Raphael look like, exactly?"

"Well, unlike most Angelic or previously so spirits, he can't change his appearance so he will be blond forever." He stopped to snigger at some private joke that Harry wasn't sure he wanted to know the meaning of. That chuckle had been just a little malicious which was always worrisome coming from him. "He's a bit taller than me, got very long hair that kind of waves and is actually very similar to the hair that one girl friend of your's has. You know, the one who drinks a lot."

"Oh, okay." Harry risked a little nod and spent a moment marveling at how much better he was starting to feel. He'd once heard that laughing sped up the healing process, and he had been feeling very amused for the past several hours (he'd looked at the clock a little and they'd been talking for a goodish bit now). This description and name made him worried though, so he asked what made Raphael disreputable.

"He isn't disreputable in the way Humans are." Harry felt endlessly reassured by that; since he knew how attached Luna was to the Ex-Angel (didn't that make him a Demon?) and he didn't want any harm to come to her at his hands. "The only reason he is depicted as kind of shady is because what he does for a living isn't exactly legal by our laws, since second chances for us and the ability to be beautiful again is not supposed to be available to us. He is entirely responsible for why the Grigori are still around as well. So really, he just has compassion towards the unforgiven and believes in second chances for those given none. Considering that he's an Archangel, this is _very _unusual."

"Raphael is an Archangel?!" That caught his attention. "Wait, so he's _the _Angel Raphael?"

"Um, yes?"

"Holy shit!"

----------

Moving her needles in a rhythmic pattern, Luna watched the scarf slowly form itself from her handiwork with a faint smile. Raphael was sleeping on the bed beside her, an almost too long arm flung over his eyes to shield them from the yellow light of her lopsided lamp that had once depicted Little Bo Peep and some sheep but it was missing most of the sheep. It barely worked properly, and she knew that she could afford to buy a new one that wouldn't shut off by itself when she was in the middle of something, but her mother had given it to her and she really couldn't bear to part with any relic that remained of her deceased parent. Shaking off the gloomy mood she'd begun to slide into, she checked the clock to see how much time she had left before she needed to set off for the bus stop that would take her to Kings Cross, London. There were only two days of the holidays left and any money she could make between now and when the train would take her back to Hogwarts was much needed. Finishing the scarf, she tucked it in her basket with the other 19 and slipped on some sturdy boots with convenient hidden knives in the soles. Kissing Raphael's cheek, she made sure to close the door quietly behind her.

---------

End chapter 34

I know some of you were curious about Luna's personal life, so this had a very strong hint. And since I don't know if any of you guys live in England and would therefore know this (I sure didn't a year ago), but Kings Cross is kind of a red light district. So…draw your conclusions for now.


	35. Chapter 35

A/N: Crap. The whole 'Luna with a basket and in a dangerous area' is strangely reminiscent of Little Red Riding Hood. I only noticed after I wrote it, so I swear it wasn't on purpose. Also, I'm beginning to warm up to Lily Allen's cover of Keane's song 'Everybody's Changing' and I think it might suit for Luna's theme song.

CHAPTER 35

Side-stepping a puddle of slush stained black from the petrol of the cars passing by, she hugged her basket tighter and hoped to god that she wouldn't be forced to use her weapons because she really wasn't in the mood. The cold wind had depressed her and taken the fire out of her as usual, so she took a quick sip from her miniature glass bottle hanging around her neck, the gin doing much to return some pep in her slow gait. So the thing was given to her by Ginny, and you were supposed to put perfume in it, but she thought alcohol worked just as well.

Kings Cross had cleaned up quite a lot in the past few years, but if you knew where to look you could find substantial enough remnants of what it had once been to make a living. Slipping a little on the ice covering the front steps, she raised a small hand to press the button of a certain flat in the building, entering quickly out of the cold when the automatic door swung open. Bypassing the dysfunctional elevator probably housing some creepy rapist-wannabe, she half-skipped up the 3 flights of stairs until she reached the room labeled 3E. Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, she raised her hand to knock.

"Deidre? It's me." She called out, giving the door a rap or two. The sound of at least 7 locks being undone greeted her ears before it swung open a crack and she spied a few wisps of graying hair framing a crazed-looking eye. Waving with cheer she didn't feel and plastering on a smile for the old woman's sake, she waited patiently for her to conclude her inspection and open the door.

"Luna, my dear! You've grown a bit since I last saw you! What have you been eating, you little Swedish princess?" wrinkled fingers pinched her cheek like they'd been doing for the past 3 years and she avoided rolling her eyes as always, and denied having grown so much as an inch in the past week. "Well, come this way, child. Your regular gentleman is already here and has been waiting for 5 whole minutes!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Just before entering the room, she handed Deidre the basket and informed her that they were the scarves she had promised to make and that she now owed her 30 pounds. Tuning out her grumbling, she slipped into the room and greeted the man who'd first requested her services and had been doing so for the last 3 years.

------------

It was 5 in the morning when she exited the apartment, 525 pounds in her blouse's inner pocket. Deidre still owed her 5, but she was willing to wait. Hearing a set of footsteps mirroring hers, she paused and bent down pretending to tie her shoe but in actuality removed one of the blades and twisted her fingers up so it was now half in her palm and half hidden by one of her thick bangles from the 60s that her grandmum had given her. Continuing to walk for 4 city blocks, she entered the rail station and sat down beside a working man in a suit and an old lady with a rabbit on a leash. The old lady sent her a smile, revealing grayed gums and yellow teeth, and said good morning.

"Morning, ma'am." Luna replied, feeling friendly despite her current state of exhaustion. Harold had stayed far longer than usual, as it had been a while since he'd seen her and he said he had missed her something terrible. She had thought her ribs were going to crack under the force of his hold when he'd launched himself at her and hugged her so very tightly. Most prostitutes do not have emotional attachments to their customer's, and do not receive any in return but Harold had always been a sensitive soul and had latched onto her like some kind of lovable leech the moment he'd seen her. She knew far more about him than she thought even his own mother had been blessed with. Smiling at the thought, she picked some of the chipped nail polish off of her ring finger and began to daydream about just who was waiting for her at home. She really couldn't help it. Being 13 meant it was quite normal to have crushes, and he was not exactly unattractive in either appearance or personality.

Realizing how sappy her thoughts had become, she brushed them off and removed a book on polite conversation from the 1830s, quickly becoming engrossed in the outdated delicacies of speech.

------

End chapter 35

I know, no Harry. But he will be back.


	36. Chapter 36

A/N: I know he's not in this chapter, but for the record I consider John Malkovich to be the walking embodiment of Igor Karkaroff. Especially his character 'Pascal Sauvage' from 'Johnny English' starring Rowan Atkinson. I may hate the movie, but Malkovich made it all worth it. 

CHAPTER 36

Bouncing just barely with the rhythm of the train as it moved down the tracks and away from the dreary little station where it had stopped a moment ago, she stared down her reflection in the window directly across from her created by the cheap fluorescent lights. The old woman was still sitting besides her, chattering about her grandson in the Queen's service who had left just yesterday after his holiday leave, and how she missed him already despite having 8 grandsons to spare within easy walking distance. 

The train ride had never seemed so tedious. 

-----

Smiling at nothing, Harry contemplated the fact that he had actually met his favorite Catholic figure in person and not realized it. How could he have missed the now-obvious signs? Maybe not eating really had stunted his mental growth like Asmodeus sometimes teased him about. And speaking of the demon, he had his face nestled between Harry's shoulder blades while Harry had his face turned to the side on his pillow so he could still breathe. Since he appeared to be drifting in and out of sleep, the kisses he would sometimes press to the well-defined bones were his only way of telling what state he was in. 

Feeling a sneaky finger running along the edges of his ribs, he closed his eyes and deepened his breathing to make it seem like he was sleeping. The fingers stilled at the change, but after a rustling of cloth and increased proximity of warm breath on his face, he assumed Asmodeus had fallen for it because the fingers continued their exploration, now cautiously moving under his white sleep shirt to soothingly stroke the faint lines of raised skin that remained after his suicide attempt years ago. Suddenly it was hard to breathe and he shivered just a bit. The breath came closer and he whispered, "Harry? You awake?"

When he didn't answer the lips came even closer and kissed his parted ones very lightly.

"I love you so much."

Harry had just regained the use of his lungs when he lost it again. Giving in to the temptation, he opened his eyes and smiled. "I love you too." He cooed and placed a hand over the hastily retreating one and squeezed the fingers a bit. "And I really don't mind you feeling me up when I'm sleeping. It makes you look like a rapist, which is amusing as hell." 

Asmodeus glared and was about to open his mouth and defend himself when Harry somehow mustered the strength to pull his face down by tugging on his loose hair that had escaped from the braid he had put it in earlier and kissed him square on the mouth while angling his head to the side to deepen it faster. Pulling away before Asmodeus could respond, he said, "I meant it when I said I didn't mind. I will start to mind very much if you stop, though." a slow grin spread over Asmodeus' face and Harry began to wonder if he'd missed something. 

His questions were answered when the Demon abruptly yelled "Tickle attack!" and pounced him, long legs pinning him to the mattress while his fingers ran up and down his torso in rapid movements. He giggled and flailed as much as he was able, skinny arms trying in vain to accost to invading hands. 

"Haha! Stop!" He laughed, one slender thigh jerking spasmodically, knee somehow managing to brush against the crook of his legs. The fingers stopped and Harry's eyes widened when he noticed how heavily Asmodeus was breathing and the way his eyes blazed with some kind of inner heat. 

He blushed and started to mumble apologies when, for no apparent reason, Asmodeus kissed his nose. The fire had left his gaze and Harry began to feel a little less uncomfortably but enticingly warm in certain parts of his body. He wasn't quite sure he was ready for what the warmth would lead to, but he was positive that when he was he wanted Asmodeus to be there. 

----------- (that was for your hangover, Rokkis. I really DO love you  ) ---------------

Maggie blinked. Augustus was wearing a tattered pair of robes that might have once been indigo, but were now a mottled gray with numerous scorch marks and small imprints of what could have been deflected spells. A large tear near the hem could only have been made by a knife slashing it instead of its intended target. Last she had checked robes in that style had gone out of fashion over 300 hundred years ago. 

This would, of course, be his reason of wearing them. 

"Um…where did you get the robes?" She asked, truly curious now. 

"They were my grandfather's!" he announced with pride, and a smile formed on her lips when she thought of her own grand-dad, long since gone as he was. He'd been quite the…character. 

-------

End chapter 36

Hey! An update! Technically, I break the Christian law when I work on the Sabbath, but you guys are worth the bother. Hope you liked the Asmoarry! (remember, that is Ariaeris' thing) .


	37. Chapter 37

CHAPTER 37

Noticing a foreign magical presence enter the field that he operated in, Raphael sat up straight on Luna's bed and quickly scribbled down a note saying that something urgent had come up and he would meet her at the train station early tomorrow morning before she boarded it to return to Hogwarts. 

Creating a whole in space, he stepped through it and moved faster than can be comprehended to the source of the ritualistic aura. All that he left behind in her room was the haunting smell of flowers meant only for the weary and dead enjoying eternity in peace. Stepping out of the place between dead and alive, he emerged on a hillside in a cloud of sweet-smelling smoke. Far below him in a ravine he spied a young-looking woman standing in the center of a Circle of Power and a middle-aged man carefully standing several feet away reading a spell out of a scroll that could only be held together by magic at this point. 

_Interesting. _Moving closer carefully, feet avoiding any loose rocks that could alert them of his presence, he made sure to muffle his smell and appearance, so even if their eyes would happen to stray to where he was all they would see would be a light mist making its way down the slope. Standing directly behind Augustus, he read the hieroglyphs that looked like something a bored 3 year old had scribbled on a stray sheet of papyrus over his shoulder, making sure that he wasn't breathing before doing so as well. 

He had apparently finished since he rolled the scroll up and shrugged his shoulders. The woman hissed, "Gussie, you need to toss me the Athame! Quickly!" 

"OH! Right, right." He reached inside his raggedy robes and removed a jeweled witch's ritual dagger, managing to toss it to her right before the Circle began to awaken, bolts of light shooting upwards from the runes written in goat's blood around the Circle itself. 

"Thanks so much for this, Gussie." She grinned, and then it turned deadly and she thrust the knife into her heart while screaming something that sounded vaguely like Latin. The circle seemed to explode and implode at the same time and then the traces completely disappeared, leaving only the Athame. The man he now knew to be Augustus calmly stepped through the ring of smoke and pocketed the knife, slipping it into some hidden pocket of his robe. Turning around, he shrieked at the sight of a fully visible Raphael. 

The Ex-Angel cocked an eyebrow, weight resting on one foot and arms crossed. "Well, what do we have here? Illegal Dark Magick being performed on what is technically unknown Muggle territory where the Ministry can't monitor the flow?"

"Now look here-"

"Relax, man. I have no intention of telling anybody about what I saw going on here. The information I want is to gratify my personal curiosity. If you aren't feeling chatty, though, I won't push." 

Augustus stared. "Are you serious?"

"Why would I joke about something as insignificant as this? And I rarely make jokes unless I know that they are completely out of line and will make somebody want to strangle me. I'm something of a sadist, you see, and seeing other people wrestling with inner demons that exist entirely because of me makes me happy."

"I, uh, see." He seemed to shake off his confusion and offered his hand with a friendly look on his face. "I'm Augustus Wormwood, and I work for the Ministry of Dark Magick. You are…?"

"Raphael, ghost doctor and escapee of eternal damnation." 

"Um, I'm not sure I understand."

"It's alright. I doubt even I understand how I managed it, and nor will it ever truly make sense. HE is known for being ineffable, I'm sure you've realized by now."

"Are-are you talking about _God?" _this stranger was just getting weirder and weirder, and he was very thankful for the Athame he was armed with, despite the sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't have any effect on the tall blond. 

"Is there another ineffable Cosmic Being I'm unaware of?"

"Satan?" Unexpectedly, Raphael started laughing, nearly doubling over. This went on for several minutes, the noise echoing off the rocky hills surrounding them. Regaining control, he straightened, still sniggering a bit mind you, and asked, "Where did you get the idea that Satan is in any way all-knowing? I swear, you Humans really are the most amusing creatures blessed with life. Satan can't strategize to save his life, if he had one."

"You've met Satan?"

"I repaired his wings after he Fell, and we worked in the same department before the War."

"Ah."

"Indeed. As informative as this chat has been, there is somewhere I need to be. It's been fun!" He then disappeared into thin air, and a smell unlike anything else he'd ever experienced assaulted Augustus' nostrils and he inhaled deeply. His lungs protested the smoke and he began to cough violently until a smidgeon of blood flew out of his throat and onto his palm. 

It seemed to quiver before forming into a complex rune with 4 corners. 

----------

Standing in the snow just outside Kings Cross station, Harry kissed his father's cheek and hugged him briefly before moving on to his guardians and his father's friends. 

"See you guys this summer, okay?" He called over his shoulder before checking and running through the barrier. He crashed into something and went flying back flat on his back, feeling more than a little disoriented. 

"Oh my god! I am sooo sorry!" A voice called, sounding familiar. Looking up through eyes blurry with the tears that had risen from the force of his contact with the floor and saw that the voice belonged to Cedric Diggory. 

He smiled to show that he was okay and allowed the older boy to pull him to his feet. "No, the fault is as much mine as it is your's, Cedric."

"Harry?"

"In the flesh." He grinned disarmingly and offered his hand to shake. Something must have happened to make Cedric a little gutsier than he was used to since the older boy hugged him instead. 

Raito growled from his place in Harry's bag and Cedric quickly let go, looking around for the source of it. A pair of white ears above glaring yellow eyes peering over the edge of Harry's book bag answered his question. 

"Uh…?"

"Oh, forgive Raito. He's very possessive of me and seeing people he isn't familiar with touching me upsets him. But don't worry, he doesn't bite." Oh the irony, because a hickey on his left hip bone choose that moment to throb in a mix of pleasure at being marked as his, and pain because he had bit down hard enough to draw blood last night. 

"That's okay. My cousin has an owl with very similar temperament, except she actually attacks anybody she sees as a threat. It's funny to watch as long as the talons aren't heading for your own eyeballs."

"Why, Cedric, I hadn't known you were the type who knows how to appreciate a good bit of morbid humor!" Harry exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. He had thought that maybe Luna was the only student outside of Slytherin House as a whole who liked that sort of thing.

"There are a lot of things people don't know about me, Harry. I think we should go find a compartment soon, since the train is taking off in the next 10 minutes and we all know that the last 5 minutes are insane because most of the kids arrive late anyway."

"Very true. And kudos for braving Raito's wrath and sittin' with me." 

Cedric laughed and shouldered both of their trunks. "No problem. I like cats."

-------

End chapter 37

Oh thank god! I am finally out of my 'short meaningless chapters' rut! (Does the happy author dance) 

And Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of you who celebrate it (which is ironic because I sure don't despite living in USA). 

I have to thank Rokkis, Jewl4Life, and LPFanRockChick for your near-constant reviews. I don't think I could show the same dedication to supporting me that you have. You guys really keep me going, and I love you and all my readers very much! 


	38. Chapter 38

A/N: Am I the only one who finds all Hufflepuffs absolutely adorable? Kyaa!

CHAPTER 38

A wave of heat hit her face and she collapsed on the floor, incapacitated for a few moments while her magic kicked in to numb her nostrils to the scent of burning flesh and boiling blood. Not to mention the ashes that the wind carried with it everywhere that stung and sliced at her skin as they flew past at a frantic pace. Everything seemed to be moving away from a certain direction, the very ground seeming to shift beneath her, and she timidly lifted her head to see a tall figure with a halo of flames and covered with various parts of the human body never meant to be exposed to the elements coming dangerously close. 

She almost retched but managed to hold it back when he noticed her and came closer. Kneeling down beside her, he placed a suddenly clean hand on her shoulder and used it as leverage to push her on her back. He made an 'hmm' noise and politely asked, "Excuse me, ma'am, but what are you doing down here? I was not notified of an inspection, and this level isn't even considered worthy of it. Are you lost?"

"Um, that depends." She had finally found her voice after being very much distracted by his red eyes and mass of hair that had clumps of ash and unmentionables in it. He smelled surprisingly nice as well, which was very suspicious. "Where am I?"

"You are in the 4th ring of Hell, ma'am, and I am its current Keeper because the minors have the day off and its not like evil ever sleeps so somebody had to do it while they are absent."

"I see. In that case, I am not lost as my intention was to reach Hell." He blinked at her and then something seemed to dawn on him. 

"You're not a Demon, are you?"

"Not the last time I checked." Suddenly the pieces came together and she gasped, drawing away from him. "Are you implying that _you _are?"

"That would be the general idea, yes. My name is Satan, and I am willing to escort you to Lucifer's office where we can get this sorted out."

"You mean you aren't the same person?" She received a sneer that looked almost out of place of his face. "No. Where did you get that idea?"

"Well, it is kind of assumed on Earth." She heard him mutter about 'stupid Humans' before he stood and offered her a hand to help her to her feet. Seeing that the wind had stopped (there was something of a crater around them since all the dirt had moved and left smooth rock), she took it and allowed him to half-drag her up the slope and onto the compacted and desert-like surface. He immediately dropped her hand and curtly said, "This way, please."

Left with no other choice, she followed him meekly across the plains and over several bridges that spanned deep chasms with screams reverberating upwards from their depths. Several times she almost grabbed his hand when the sounds grew too haunting to bear, but thought better of it as he would probably literally bite her head off. 

-------

Dozing absently in his seat, Harry was dimly aware that his friends were discussing Pansy's new role as an older sibling and what house her sister would be in. Raito purred against his side, having climbed out of the book bag to take up almost an entire bench with just his head and left front paw on Harry's lap where he could pet them. A fascinated 2nd year Hufflepuff who was under Cedric's wing would stroke the cat's tail every time it swung in his direction, and murmur about where Harry could have gotten a cat like this.

Feeling the train's jolts through the upholstery of his bench, he sighed and resigned himself to being awake. Pulling out a book on Bioplasma he'd filched from Vladimir's bedroom without him noticing, he opened it to the 53rd chapter where he had left off yesterday afternoon and lost himself in the complexities of the phenomena whilst wondering what his looked like. Across from him he noticed Pansy reading a Muggle text regarding the Drummer of Tedworth, which is a recorded incident of a Poltergeist harassing a family in the 17th century. 

The door to the compartment suddenly slid open and Blaise stepped inside followed by Ginny and Luna. "Hey, guys." The black boy greeted and enlarged the compartment so there was a 3rd bench that faced the door. Since this took away the corner Harry had been leaning most of his weight against, his face made a 'smack' noise when it connected with the leather seat of the new bench. 

"Whoops! Sorry, Harry, I should have warned you about that." Blaise apologized before sitting beside him to examine his head unnecessarily for bruising. 

"I'm fine, Blaise. Really."

"Well, if you're sure…"

"I am. It was an accident." His calming words were belied by Raito's vicious growling. Realizing this, he began to pet him in a particularly sensitive spot just under his jaw he'd discovered last night.

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End chapter 38


	39. Chapter 39

A/N: This has nothing to do with the story, but Emily Browning is beautiful. Check out her candid street party pictures. 

CHAPTER 39

The train had come to a stop a few minutes ago, but Harry was still in the now-empty compartment due to a certain Demon transforming and pinning him to the wall while apparently trying to turn his entire neck into a giant hickey to match his hip. Teeth grazed a certain spot just behind his ear and he gasped, hands flying up from their place on his shoulder to tangle in his hair. This was pleasant for Asmodeus since he obliged him by nibbling on the soft skin for a little while until Harry began to feel that alien heat coursing through him that made his vision darken and his skin become far more sensitive than he was used to. 

He moaned when Asmodeus gently kissed the skin under his chin and then licked his lips as a very strong hint of what he wanted next. He was ignored as the mouth went back to his neck briefly and then a large hand stretched his school sweater so his shoulder was visible for a few moments that were nevertheless long enough for him to kiss it several times. Then he abruptly pulled back and announced, "That is payback for taking advantage of my sweet spot in public." With a smirk he transformed back into Raito and Harry rolled his eyes after he'd finished catching his breath. Straightening his clothes, he levitated his trunk and ran out to catch his pet before he did another of his disappearing acts.

His friends eyed him weirdly when he finally met up with them, trunk floating behind and growling cat under one arm. It seemed to be smirking despite its growls though, which was odd because since when do cats have facial expressions?

Cramming themselves into the last two carriages, with multiple enlargement charms becoming necessary once they realized that several students still couldn't even with most of the girls sitting on the boy's laps. In fact, the only one with a free lap was Harry but that was just because Daphne had gotten a rather nasty cat scratch all down her arm when she had tried to sit from a pissy kitty. 

Arriving at the castle after several minutes of uncomfortably close seating arrangements, they all made a mad dash for the front doors in an attempt to get there before the return feast started without them. Harry frowned when he noticed Ron Weasley giving Ginny grief for coming in late, and with a group of slimy Slytherins no less! Since everybody seemed to be occupied with their food, he stood and wove his way through the tables to the Gryffindor one. Tapping Ginny on the shoulder, she turned and he asked of she wanted to come sit with them since Luna already was. She gave him a grateful smile and stood, bringing her plate with her to the table decorated in green. Sitting between Luna and Vincent Crabbe and across from Harry, she helped herself to the pudding Luna had brought with her from the Ravenclaw table, much to the blue House's chagrin. Cedric was on Harry's left and reading his Muggle Calculus book over his shoulder and occasionally asking questions about a certain problem. Draco was on his other side slicing Pansy's meat into little pieces for her since she 'didn't have the energy' and rolling his eyes while doing so. He would pretend to be oblivious to her little crush until he deemed it serious enough to pursue her. Handing her the plate, he watched her nibble on a piece while chatting with Millicent about the new Seeker Viktor Krum who was apparently still a student at the Wizarding School Durmstrang. 

-----------

Sitting in Potions, Harry doodled various scenarios of people getting sawed in half in the margins of his notes while Professor Snape rambled about the Potion they would be brewing later in the week and why they needed to write a paper on its origins between now and then. He was very bored and Asmodeus had taken off to 'deal with a disturbance down Below' last night, but not before kissing him until he saw stars and could barely feel his bruised lips. He smiled at the thought, and then winced since they were still damaged and he had resorted to wearing a glamour to cover their current purplish color. When the class concluded he removed a plum from his pocket and bit into the scarlet skin, weaving his way through the desks and students frantically packing up their supplies as fast as possible so they could get out of the scary Professor's presence. 

Edmund had been about to classroom when he caught sight of the diminutive Slytherin boy that had invaded his every thought and become his new muse from the moment he'd first seen him. His knees felt a little wobbly as he approached to say 'hi' briefly before finding a seat. Harry's head snapped up when he saw a pair of feet enter his field of vision and lightly butted his head against a foreign chest before he could stop himself. Looking up, he smiled when he saw that it was only Edmund come to see him. The older boy did look a bit flushed, though, which made him ask if he was feeling alright. 

"What? Oh, yeah. I feel great, really."

"Alright. I only asked because your face is a bit red and I thought you were sweating a moment ago."

He blushed harder and stuttered for a moment, which Harry found adorable. Laughing a little for no particular reason, he patted the Hufflepuff's arm before scooting around him to head for his next class in the greenhouses. 

--------

Slipping a bottle of good quality beer into Harry's bag without him noticing, which was quite a feat, Luna chatted with him about how Raphael had taken time off the holidays to celebrate Christmas with her and her father. He felt very tempted to tell her who exactly the Angel was, but thought better of it as it really wasn't his place to say.

She kissed his cheek quick when they heard the bell ring and then they scampered off in different directions to reach their respective classes in time. He didn't pay much attention to Professor McGonagall, and simply performed the transfiguration as soon as was permissive before returning to his thoughts on the various new steps he could take his relationship with Asmodeus to. All of them were appealing, but he wondered if he was ready for that sort of thing just yet, and there was no way he was going to make any kind of moves until he was absolutely sure. Or possibly very, very drunk.

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End chapter 39

Love you all! And the reviews…XD


	40. Chapter 40

CHAPTER 40

Shaking, she stood frozen in place as Lucifer descended upon her like some kind of avenging Valkyrie. An intellectually curious Valkyrie, which made the effect all the more frightening if the crazed look in his eyes, was any indication. 

"So, you are a soul and body technically still alive, and in here no less?"

"I…uh…I suppose so."

"Fascinating! What did you _do?" _His green eyes were alight with fervor and she couldn't bring herself to deny him the information he so desperately craved. There was also the small niggling worry that he might condemn her to eternal damnation in her current body, which would hurt a lot despite the heavy numbing that immortality eventually causes. Besides, she had no idea how she would ever be able to leave again if they stashed her in some dark corner of this place, since she lost any and all sense of direction she might have retained during the terrifying fall she'd taken down to her current placement.

Launching into a detailed description of the highly illegal ritual she'd undergone to get here, she patiently answered any questions he interrupted her with and tried to ignore the crawling sensation that suddenly entered her veins when she heard the door behind them open and close, near-silent foot steps coming closer and closer until she could feel warm breath gusting over the top of her head (she's kinda short, people). 

"Um…?" She raised her head and peered up at a set of yellow eyes narrowed in her general direction. "Hi." He said, a brief spark of fire appearing and vanishing too fast for normal humans to comprehend in the very depths of his eyes. 

"H-hey. You're a Demon too, I'm guessing?"

"Yes. I am also the Necromancer you've been tracking for the past few weeks." He gave her a charming smile that could break hearts and her mouth fell open. And then her neck cramped and she was forced to break his gaze and bend double while grasping it in her palms. "Owww….fucking hell, this hurts!"

One of them snickered, which was confusing for a moment until she caught the pun and giggled a little, despite feeling more than a little awkward about the whole 'alone with three attractive male demons' thing. Remembering her mission, she turned to face the yellow-eyed one and announced that he could either come quietly and escape later once she'd dropped him off and gotten paid and split it with him or he could stay where he was and neither of them would get any profit. He sized her up for a moment before saying, "Alright, I'll come with and pretend to be Human but I want 60."

Not one to be petty about this kind of thing, Maggie nodded and replied, "If that is what you want, it's fine with me." 

"When should you 'catch me' and then present me to your employer?"

"Are you busy right now?"

"Not really. Just got back, really, so now is perfect." 

"Great!" This couldn't get any better. Just then another Demon strutted in and casually asked, "So, who's this?"

-----------

Harry was bored. This was such a rare occurrence that he really didn't know what to do with himself. Since he was alone in the dormitory, he sat up and opened a window before reaching into his trouser pocket and removing his cigarettes and lighter. Most wizards with the Muggle habit used their wands, but the lighter was faster and more fun in his opinion, and was less time-consuming than using his wand for every menial task. Normally he would be reading or doing homework but he had a headache and didn't feel like it so he was resorting to pursuits easier on his eyes. It would be bothersome if he needed to wear glasses, so he made sure to take regular breaks to prevent eye detriment or serious headaches caused by too much information intake. 

Taking a drag, his lungs inhaled the nicotine-laced smoke and when he sighed smoke came out of his mouth like a sleeping dragon. Remembering the school's motto, he smiled and took another drag before tucking it behind his ear and climbing out to seat himself on one of the stone ledges overlooking the lake. The Squid was hovering close to the surface today, soaking up the last bits of the summer's heat. Noticing one of its favorite students waving at it, it raised a pink tentacle into the air and waved back enthusiastically. It was rewarded by the human reaching into his pocket and removing a roll from lunch to lob towards it. 

Standing up, he carefully climbed further down until he could dip his toes in the algae-covered water and exchange silent greetings with the mermen who sometimes spent the afternoon over there when the sun was too hot and they needed the extra shade. Smiling at what looked like a pregnant mermaid (he could never be quite sure whether they had just had a big meal or were actually carrying children), he consciously restrained his flinch when she flashed her pointed teeth at him. He was absolutely sure that a pissed off sea Creature could do a fair bit of damage, which was one of the many reasons he had made a point to befriend them as soon as he discovered that they lived in the lake. 

Boredom cured. 

----------

End chapter 40


	41. Chapter 41

CHAPTER 41

Head whipping around, she examined the brunette sending her a friendly smile and wondered what he presided over. 

"Ah, finally. Asmodeus, did you accomplish what I instructed you to do?"

"Yes, sir!" He mock-saluted with a grin before saying, "Thoroughly, in fact, so if you hear any complaints it has nothing to do with me. Oh, and I have located the Dark Nothing that has been bothering you for far longer than he should have been. Do you mind if I deal with him next week? I know it's a bit sooner than we were planning, but I really think that it would be opportune to get it over with as soon as possible…or before Eris gets pissy and leaves the project altogether like last time."

They took a moment to shudder in apparent memory of the incident that took place last time. Maggie became quite sure that she really didn't want to know and began fiddling with a loose string on her sleeve cuff and wondered if they would let her take off her coat. It was a bit warm in there, after all, and the heat seemed to come from underneath them, which was making her feet sweat inside her boots. 

"Well, I suppose next week would be alright. Just keep Eris happy at all costs, okay?"

"Understood. Is this the human woman you need sent back up?"

"Yes, and you will be taking Mammon as well. Have you seen Ingrid recently, by the way?"

"No, I have been mainly stationary while up there."

"I see. How _is _Harry?"

"He's lovely as always. Just a little taller and smarter this year."

"Hmm….how pleasant for you." There was a bare hint of a sneer in his voice, and Maggie felt the room's temperature lower several degrees. She swallowed thickly and began to wish she hadn't come down here in the first place. Her fingers jerked at the thin thread on her jacket and a few shallow cuts appeared and disappeared on her fingers tips before it was yanked free and slipped through her slack fingers onto the bare stone floor where it sizzled. 

Asmodeus gave a mocking sort of laugh that lacked any real humor, and a dangerous spark had entered his eyes that filled her with the same freezing sense of dread she had first felt when faced with the Creature Rael's barely-controlled rage in that particular pub in rural France. Her fingers sought out another of the loose threads on her outer layer of clothing to pull on. She would bite her nails, but many years ago when she had been a very small child and had dared to do it in the presence of her stately mother she had been slapped clear across the face and scolded for a full hour about why it was unladylike and barbaric to do so. She was also deprived of tea and given extra lines to write for her French tutor until her fingers had ached like they did now with suppressed terror. 

Just as the tension in the room reached some kind of peak, a flare of light came out of nowhere and a tall figure wrapped in some kind of hooded robe that fell in deep folds that covered any human details and the gender of the figure dropped from through the roof like it was immaterial. Two glowing spots of light deep within the shadow of the hood winked into sight and fixated on her. A deep voice asked, "Who is this?"

"U-Uriel! What an honor! To what do I owe this most pleasurable and unexpected visit?" Lucifer purred, vaulting over his desk to approach the stranger, hands seeming to hover over his sleeve for a moment before growing still and returning to his sides. 

"I felt a disturbance and then the soul with its cord still fastened to its body came here. Where is she?"

"Oh, never mind about her. She is just leaving after all." He turned for a brief second and made some movement with his fingers that made sense to the demons since a large set of arms suddenly scooped her up and hurried her from the room while following the Demon called Asmodeus down some staircase until they reached a room shaped into a nonnagram with a sealed door on each point. Approaching the one to the far left, Asmodeus muttered something sinister-sounding in an unknown language that made the runes carved into the stone glow green for a second before it silently swung open. There was a screeching noise like metal against stone, a brilliant light, a swirl of color immediately afterwards and then she landed on something soft and warm. It smelled divine, whatever it was. 

A face swam into focus over her and she gave a giddy laugh when she recognized Mammon. He looked somewhat irritated at the sound of it, but in a good-natured way. Why people were terrified of demons she really didn't understand anymore. They were the most interesting company she'd come across in a long time besides Augustus. 

"Come along, then. Where is this employer of your's?"

Lying on his bed while smoking yet again, Harry contemplated trying to sleep but shrugged the idea off when he remembered how many treacle tarts he'd eaten with dinner, the sugar still humming through his veins. He did drift off a little, and was awakened rudely by his cigarette burning his fingers when they slackened and unwittingly directed the burning end upon themselves. Getting up and opening the window briefly to toss it out for some creature to play with, he closed it and padded back between the occupied beds of his room mates who were quite sensibly asleep at this ungodly (I'm sorry. The damn puns have returned!) hour of the night. 

His bed was occupied when he returned though. Yellow eyes winked at him in the gloom of the shadows dwelling in his room, and he bounded closer so he could settle himself on Asmodeus' chest with a sigh of true contentment. "Did you just get back?" he whispered, breath ghosting across his chest and raising some reactions he was determined to hide until Harry was a little older. 

"Yes, doll. Did you miss me?"

"Always." He crawled up a little and chastely kissed him on the mouth and gasped when Asmodeus' tongue unexpectedly entered his marginally parted lips and stroked his own. Thinking about it, it ought to have felt weird or gross but it just felt kind of wet. But in a nice way that made him all shivery and his hands clutch at the fabric of his boyfriend's shirt and hope that he could somehow survive the rest of his life without oxygen. Feeling a little adventurous, he tentatively ran his tongue against his boyfriend and whimpered when it was sucked on hard enough for his mouth to go slightly numb. When his mouth was released, he took deep breaths and sighed in contentment, slowly relenting in his death grip on the Demon's shirt, which was very wrinkled by now. 

"Can we do that again sometime?" he asked, eyes wide and innocent.

End chapter 41

Heh, some action for you perverts!

Perverts I love very much.


	42. Chapter 42

CHAPTER 42

Opening his eyes, Harry waited for the fuzzy feeling in his head to leave and almost regretted it when it was gone since he was now painfully aware of how dry his mouth was. Crawling out of bed, he fell flat on his face thanks to a corner of his sheet that was tangled around his ankle. Groaning, he reached down and tugged at it until it unraveled and released him from its grasp so he could pad into the bathroom and take a deep gulp from the faucet. Relieving himself, he glanced at the clock and noted that it was 5:30 in the morning. Deciding that he might as well, he went back to the bed and crawled on his knees to the roll of fabric he knew his boyfriend had ensconced himself into. Tugging on the edge of the coverlet, he sighed when it garnered no response other than a hand emerging and swatting vaguely at him. 

"Asmodeus…" He whined, elongating the syllables of his name to show his frustration. He was rewarded with a sigh, ruffling blankets, and a tangled mass of brown hair emerging from the cocoon followed by two strong arms that grasped him under his armpits and accepted him into the combination of cloth and warm body heat. He purred and kissed the soft skin under his jaw as an apology for waking him up and was 'forgiven' by a hand cupping his head and long fingers massaging away the beginnings of a headache. He sighed and tucked his head into the crook of the Demon's neck and hoped that nothing came up to separate them for at least the next few hours. 

Entering the English Ministry of Magic, Maggie nervously straightened her skirt and sent the receptionist a too-bright smile as she rushed past before the girl could realize that she wasn't authorized to be there, and neither was the tall man following her.

Entering the elevator, she leaned back against the wall and began imagining the big bowl of chocolate ice cream she would treat herself to once she had accomplished this ordeal, and steadily ignored the yellow eyes watching her in amusement from the opposite side of the moving box. He sighed and raked a hand through his hair, making a few strands come loose from his coif and fall into his eyes. He made no move to brush them aside, just leaned his head back and sighed again, raising his wrist to look at his watch (when did he get a watch?) and muttered something under his breath. The elevator lurched to a stop and they both walked out towards the Department of Records where Maggie was hoping Ingrid would be waiting. Entering the room, several subordinates raised their heads but quickly looked away when Maggie glared menacingly. As a general rule she wasn't an unkind person, but she could be vicious if the occasion called for it. 

Approaching one of the now-cowering assistants, she asked, "Excuse me, but where is Miss Black?" 

"M-miss Black is in the b-back." She stuttered. When Maggie moved to go around her and towards this 'back' she timidly spoke up again. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but civilians aren't allowed back there. If you w-wait here I will see if she isn't too busy to see you."

"Alright." she stalked over to the sofa provided and propped her feet up on the flimsy table in front of it with the Demon sitting beside her picking idly at his nails and playing with his plethora of very expensive-looking rings. Why they didn't have magazines or a copy of last month's paper floating around she didn't know. Wizarding waiting rooms were far more hellish than Muggle ones, or at least that had been her general consensus for the past several hundred years. 

She was just considering killing some people to pass the time when she distantly heard a swishing sound and Ingrid rounded the corner of a dusty shelf groaning under the weight of thousands of volumes numbered with roman numerals and came up to them. She raised an eyebrow when she saw who it was, or more correctly who was with her. 

"That was…unexpectedly prompt of you, Magdalena. This is the one."

"Oh, good. Do you need anything else from me or…?"

"This is all, for now." She reached into a concealed pocket of her complex dress that consisted of a skirt portion covered in a complex pattern of ruffles that seemed to flow in the same design as the paisley fabric they were made in, and then a bodice in mustard yellow with black velvet ribbons sewn on in the shape of the Black family crest. Her sleeves were elbow-length and made of thick black lace with a thin layer of yellow netting over them. Either way, whoever had constructed the dress must have had the patience of a god. From the pocket she produced a small rusted key and handed it to her saying, "This is the key to a smaller vault in Gringotts that contains your payment. You may retrieve it at any time, and the vault itself is yours as well."

"Thank you! You didn't need to be so generous-"

"Yes, I did. You have performed a wonderful service to me and mine, and I always reward those who do well. I will be seeing you at the gathering for Walpurgis night?"

"Of course. I look forward to it." She stood, brushed off her skirt and nodded to Ingrid respectfully before leaving the department.

Suddenly feeling very uneasy, Tom surreptitiously peered around the corner of his kitchen, reddish eyes seeing nothing amiss amongst the polished pans and knives and-wait. Hadn't he put all the knives away that morning? Sure enough, one of his sizable butcher knives was absent, and there was nowhere it could possibly be than in the hands of an intruder. 

Hearing something move in the next room, he flattened himself against the wall and slowly moved closer, hand gripping his wand. He may be a Dark Lord, but he was still, unfortunately, human and very mortal. It would be horrible if he was to be killed now, when he was so close to becoming more than he had ever dreamed in his schoolboy imagination when his plans had first been formed. He peered with one eye into the room and abruptly stared when he saw the stranger to be a tall woman with hair that was gray like an old woman's and moved around her face like it had a mind of its own. She was muttering something in a language he didn't understand and the missing knife gleamed in her hand, her legs carrying her back and forth across his cheap rug. 

Suddenly her head whipped around and she looked straight at him and grinned in a way that could never be described as comforting. 

End chapter 42


	43. Chapter 43

A/N: I might be the only one who still listens to 80s music, but I would seriously recommend 'Another Brick' by Fake. It is really good…and has absolutely nothing to do with this fic (head-desk) On a more relevant note, does anybody object to Tom's spineless personality I hitched him with? I just thought it would be ironic but if you guys don't like it, for God's sake tell me!

CHAPTER 43

Despite his terror, he managed to rasp out, "W-who are you? And how did you get in here?!" hadn't he been especially vicious in his choice of wards? It had kept his freakish neighbors away, at least, and he knew they had considerable power of a nature unknown to him so why was this woman able to be standing in his parlor with such a look of antagonism on her face?

"I have no name, but those foolish enough to seek me out have come to call me the Crone. You are Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort and you are to come with me or my knife will drink your blood and I will make no effort to stop it."

"Uh, can you tell me where we're going?" he timidly asked, deciding that showing the utmost respect to the woman would be conducive to his continued existence as something other than a meal fit only for dogs.

"No. come." She gestured that he come closer impatiently and he slithered up as close as he dared, but there was still a good 5 feet between them which seemed to irritate her. "Oh come on! I'm not going to kill you right this minute, you know! That would be counter-productive at this point. Now get your ass over here so I can transport us, which requires you to hold my hand if you haven't figured it out yet."

"Oh! I'm sorry, I hadn't realized." Covering his fear with false confidence, he took her hand and gasped when they were suddenly sucked through something, surrounded by sweet-smelling smoke that filled his lungs and choked him something terrible. When they emerged, his head impacted solidly with smooth stone floor with a loud 'crack!'.

It hurt like hell.

Awakening alone for the first time in the past 2 months, Harry looked around the dorm and noticed that his dorm mates were still sleeping since it was a Saturday. Feeling something crisp under his side, he shifted to the side and pulled out a scrap of parchment with the words:

_Sweetheart,_

_I had to go on a quick errand. I will be back by this early afternoon at the latest. Sorry for taking off like this, but you are so cute when you're asleep that I really didn't have the heart to wake you. Love you!_

_-Asmodeus_

_p.s. I found another empty bottle of vodka under the bed this morning while I was looking for my shoes. Please don't drink that much by yourself again since I don't want anything happening to you when you can't defend yourself._

He rolled his eyes at the last bit but smiled a little despite himself. Like he would be able to drink an entire bottle on his own! That had been Luna's doing, last week to be specific. She had showed up outside his window with no warning riding on a Thestral at 2 in the morning with several large bottles and the archangel Raphael as well. He had drunk most of it as he was the one who had bought it but Luna and Harry managed to drain a bottle together much to the Angel's amusement. He had awakened the next morning with his first hangover in a long while and listened to Asmodeus rant about self-control while he sipped a remedial potion for headaches.

He'd almost considered getting that drunk again for the sake of the coddling Asmodeus gave him after the lecture which had made him late for class, which was a first. Getting out of bed to take a shower, he stuffed the parchment into his trunk while selecting a pair of jeans that didn't have too many holes in them and a long-sleeved t-shirt with a few frayed edges but otherwise in decent condition. His guardians repeatedly tried to buy him Wizarding clothes but the thought of wearing a dress-like garment with heavy sleeves and cumbersome folds bothered him so he was content with second-hand Muggle clothes because he knew that if he were to get into another one of his little dramas it wouldn't matter if they got ruined.

Stepping out of the bathroom after a quick and efficient scrubbing down, he towel-dried his hair before it could drip on his shirt and possibly give him a cold, smiling at Ted when he stumbled out of bed and sleepily greeted him.

"Sleep alright, Ted?"

"Yeah. You?" his words were half-mumbled so Harry had to strain his ears a bit but he didn't mind.

"It was okay. A bit drafty last night." Ted laughed a little and replied, "Isn't it always in this place?"

"True, true. Well, I'm going to the library to study and then maybe to go eat some lunch. You want to meet up later? I'll be in the Restricted Section in case you want to join me."

"Okay, thanks. See you in a bit!" Ted waved a bit while Harry left the room with an almost-empty book bag that would soon be filled with stolen prizes.

Albus tapped his chin with his finger and eyed the Potter boy while he browsed the daily prophet…seated at the Gryffindor table beside Miss Weasley and Miss Lovegood. He set the paper down to politely ask the Gryffindor quidditch sitting on his other side to pass the marmalade and received silence and a cold shoulder in exchange. He sighed and reached around the older boy, pale fingers grasping the jar and handing it to Luna. She smiled and put some on her apple slices before taking of swig from a bottle of something that she produced from her bag. She handed it to Harry afterwards and he drank a goodish bit on it before offering it to the Weasley female, who refused and took a sip of her pumpkin juice instead. The contents of the bottle caught the Wood boy's attention and he leaned over and asked Weasley what it was. She shrugged casually and remained silent, which seemed to irritate him.

"Alright then." He sighed with a put-upon look on his face before turning to Harry and asking, "Slytherin, what was in that bottle?"

"Gin and juice." Harry replied promptly, smiling a little at the older boy with innocence entirely inappropriate to the situation. "If you don't have any contagious diseases you can have some too."

"Yeah, we don't mind." Luna chimed in, producing the bottle once again and handing it to Harry to offer to the Gryffindor.

"Um…what are a bunch of kids like you guys doing drinking hard liquor?"

"Oh, pish-posh." Luna dismissively waved a hand. "I've been drinking for quite some time now and it hasn't stunted my magical growth in the slightest. And since I managed to get into Ravenclaw I think it's safe to say my mind was left untouched as well. Harry here is a right genius too, and he may not have been drinking for as long as I have but he has definitely made up for lost time if you know what I mean." She winked at him and his cheeks flushed just a little. Harry smirked into his toast but remained silent on his observation.

Seeing his DADA teacher come strolling in with a more relaxed look on his face than usual, Harry mentally began plotting how to ruin his good mood for no reason other than he felt like it. And the man had insinuated some things about his parents earlier in the week that he needed to be punished for. Pulling on one of his loose ends of magic, he sent a small bit of the sticky honey provided for porridge flying into the air where it finally landed on the professor's nose. He jumped and gave a small yelp before crossing his eyes to find out what exactly it was that had desecrated his pristinely clean face. Seeing what it was, he looked around for a culprit but discovered that he was on the receiving end of weird looks from just about everybody eating at the time. Harry snickered a little but managed to disguise it as coughing. Ginny gave him a thumbs-up under the table and Luna smirked a little, first at the professor and then at Harry. He winked.

End chapter 43

Hey! It is sort of long. All I want for Christmas is a review….(sings)


	44. Chapter 44

A/N: Do any of you guys like Rosanne Rosannedanna from SNL a long while ago? She's great and reminds me of my version of Bellatrix on crack and having a bad hair day.

CHAPTER 44

White lines lanced his eyes beneath their lids and Tom squirmed a bit, trying to make the painful sensation cease. The stinging lights followed and he found himself startled to discover that he could move no more than a few inches in any direction, and his movements were becoming more restricted with every twitch he made. Soon he couldn't move at all and began to panic when he reached inside himself and could find no trace of his magical core. Without thinking, he asked aloud to an invisible audience he could neither see nor hear, "Am I…dead?"

"Sort of." Came the answer and he trembled as best as he was able. The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once and had a heavy rasp, as if they had been smoking for far too long and still did. He was proven right when a cloud of it descended on his face from above, which led him to conclude that he was strapped on a horizontal table on some kind.

"Who are you?" he asked, voice coming out as a whisper since he hadn't had any water in…however long ago it was that that strange woman had taken him to this place and cuffed him on the back of the head to knock him out.

"My name is of no consequence, but I have been known as Diabolus to those who know me since my creation. Do you know where you are?"

"No, the Crone did not explain anything. Have I done something wrong? What do you people want with me?" his voice gained a panicked edge despite his dehydration and the effort on his voice made him cough hoarsely. Before answering, Diabolus cupped a hand under his head and the restraint around his neck loosened so he could raise it a bit. He was confused until the paper rim of a disposable cup containing water was pressed to his lower lip. Opening his mouth he began to drink in little sips so he wouldn't choke himself, he thanked the man (?) when it was removed.

"You are in Hell, and I believe you know very well what you have done to garner a place amongst the Damned. We made a little spot just for you, a spot where you will spend the rest of the years left in the world's reign before final judgment descends. And don't even try to break out of this one…it will be a hopeless endeavor that will only cause you more pain."

"S-so you are one of the Demons, then?" _'Oh shit!'_

"Yes, if the name didn't give it away." He chuckled a little and suddenly there was a scraping noise and then a sharp pain in his left forearm, as if a very long needle had just been inserted. He was almost happy that he couldn't see anything since needles had always been something of a phobia for him ever since he had nearly gotten his eye stabbed out with one as a very young child when he was still living at that god-awful Muggle orphanage.

The lights behind his eyes began to dim and he slowly slid out of consciousness once again.

Harry laughed a little for no particular reason as he stepped outside and saw that the sky was once again blue after weeks of non-stop rain. Rain might be necessary for the rebirth of the plants, but it didn't make it any more enjoyable when traveling between classes, so this change was much appreciated by him and his friends as they trudged to Care of Magical Creatures class. There were only 5 weeks left of the school year and exams looming on the horizon were sending unprepared 5th and 7th years into a frenzy of studying which made the library a little more cramped than they appreciated. Because of the current overpopulation of their favorite haunt, they had moved on to Harry's dorm when not in classes since he already had most of the books they needed courtesy of filching them when Madam Pince was distracted.

Arriving at the location of their class, they stayed close together in anticipation of the possibly dangerous nature of today's creature since they were starting a new one. Picking at his nails until they bled as usual, Harry was unaware that his self-destructive tendencies were being observed by Ron Weasley on the other side of the clearing with something akin to shock. Having been raised in a, if rambunctious, loving home since before he could remember, the sight of somebody doing harm to themselves was almost unthinkable. Almost because he had seen his older brother Percy's bare arms over the summer and they had some interesting scars from wrist to elbow, and they hadn't looked like accidents. But back to the point, Potter doing things like that to himself bothered him just a little more than he could ignore. He resolved to talk to him later, as much as the thought of communicating with a Slytherin squicked him.

Leaving the grounds of Nurmengard, she spared one last glance at the prison before exiting the barred gates with a skip in her step. She had accomplished far more today than she thought she would be able to squeeze into her 2 hour visitation time slot, but they had and the news that Tom's magical signature which she'd been keeping an eye on was now classified as deceased had filled Gellert with enough happiness to kiss her on the corner of her mouth. She giggled a little at the memory and touched her mouth with a finger.

She sent a sunny smile to the guards eyeing her appreciatively before disapparatating at the correct location provided by the prison officials. Bellatrix Lestrange was on a mission now, and nobody was going to stop her. Only a few more months and she would be able to release Grindelwald from his unfair imprisonment and maybe they would finally have vengeance against the conniving bastard known to the Wizarding world as Albus Dumbledore.

End chapter 44

Yeah! Foreshadowing and Bellatrix! Thanks for all the reviews you guys have been giving me! I love you all! (hugs)


	45. Chapter 45

CHAPTER 45

"Luna, have you ever been kissed?" Ginny asked one day while they were sitting in the library. It was dinner time, but neither of them had felt like it and had remained in the now-empty library by themselves.

"Yeah, on the cheek and stuff, but not on the lips yet." Luna lied through her teeth, mentally re-living her second customer's harsh grip in her hair and scrabbly fingers almost clawing at her neck in an effort to yank her closer. It had been painful and she hadn't had a kiss she enjoyed until she met her regular. He was still the only one who bothered to remember how fragile she was, but there was no need to burden Ginny with the trials she had been through since her family's bankruptcy.

"Oh." Ginny was blushing and laughed a little, twisting her hands in her lap.

"Why do you ask?" Luna made sure to keep her voice friendly and light as her friend was obviously nervous about something and she didn't want to add to that.

"Um, well, do you know Dean Thomas?"

"In your House, African, draws a lot?"

"Yeah. Well, yesterday he asked me if I wanted to be his girlfriend and said I'd think about it. I don't want him to think I don't know anything about what a girlfriend is supposed to do. I'll look like a kid if he finds out I haven't even been kissed."

"He asked you? Are you going to say yes?"

"I plan to, but not as I am." She paused and seemed to be thinking very deeply about something. Luna had already figured out what she was trying to ask and used two fingers to turn her friend's face towards her own and leaned in very carefully so she wouldn't scare her to gently press their lips together.

Since the redhead was, while still a very small girl, taller than her she had to crane her neck in a slightly uncomfortable way but the kiss didn't last too long so it wasn't an issue. Pulling back after several seconds of just rubbing their mouths together, Luna smiled kindly at a stunned Ginny. Meeting Luna's gaze, Ginny's cheeks flamed and she looked down at her lap. A sneaky hand entered her limited field of vision and took one of her fidgeting own, giving it a quick squeeze.

"Ginny, I'm still your friend and I don't mind kissing you so you can impress Dean."

Brown met pale blue and Luna smiled her sweetest smile and meant it. If it would make Ginny happy, she was willing to do anything. The Gryffindor smiled back and timidly leaned in and pecked her on the mouth. They gave each other little kisses for the next hour until Ginny was fairly comfortable and feeling a little breathless. She hadn't known that Luna's lips would be so soft…or so _addictive. _They had to stop when dinner ended and they knew their friends would be back in a few minutes, and it might not be such a good idea to broadcast what they'd been doing if Ginny's mother's comments on lesbians were any indication of how her brothers would react to it all.

Hearing somebody following him, Harry stopped and whirled around to face, surprisingly enough, Ron Weasley. The redhead looked nervous as all hell but beneath that determined. Deciding that it would be better not to pick a fight when the Gryffindor hadn't made any indication of animosity, he politely asked if he had something to say or happened to be going the same way.

"Um, well…" He nervously scratched the back of his head. "Its none of my business, really, and I don't see why you would even want to listen to what I have to say after the way I have treated you, but I, uh, I noticed you tearing at your fingertips a couple days ago in class and I just want to say that…that doing that kind of thing can't possibly be good for you, and will only hurt other people eventually. You don't have to listen to me, and I'm not telling you what to do or anything, but just think about it a little, okay?"

He refused to meet Harry's curious eyes, focusing on a suit of armor instead. Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair before saying, "That wasn't what I was expecting. But thank you for your concern; I will think about what you said. Is there anything else?"

Ron's eyes snapped back to him and he said, "Since she's being stubborn and all about staying friends with you and that loony Ravenclaw, take care of my sister, and I _will _kill you if I see you guys doing anything funny. Oh, and don't touch her."

Harry laughed a little. "There is no danger of that, Weasley. I'm not interested in her like that and I've already got somebody in my life that would tear her apart by her hamstrings if she made any moves towards me."

"Ah." He didn't quite know how to respond to the Slytherin's morbid reassurance, so he nodded. Come to think of it, who could his girlfriend be? Maybe that Lovegood girl? They did spend a lot of time together, but something told him it wasn't romantic. Mentally scratching his head, he nodded once again to Potter before taking his leave.

End chapter 45

Ack! Sorry it is so short, but I had stuff going on today. At least I found enough time to write this, ne? proof of my undying love for the lot of you, really.


	46. Chapter 46

CHAPTER 46

Standing in the rain with a large black umbrella shielding him from its fury courtesy of a blushing Edmund, Harry turned a page of his pamphlet on Durmstrang he'd picked up during one of his little jaunts into Knockturn Alley. It looked interesting enough, and the presence of Dark Arts classes was enough to make his eyebrows rise. If only he'd been sent there instead so he could get some official guidance! But then, if he had, he would have never made the same friends he had now which was practically unthinkable since living without them wasn't even on his mental list of things he could endure the absence of should an emergency situation arise. Showers, yes. Friends, no. He smiled at Edmund when he touched his shoulder to signal that they were allowed to proceed to the train now. Another year over so soon, but he had made peace with some of the Gryffindors and stolen over a hundred volumes from the restricted section without getting caught, so he supposed he had accomplished enough.

Climbing the steps to get inside, he flattened himself against the wall while waiting for the milling students to clear, Edmund beside him with the soaking umbrella clutched to his chest so he wouldn't poke any unsuspecting peers with the pointy tip. When it had been five minutes with no sign of them clearing off, Harry grabbed Edmund's hand so he wouldn't lose him in the confusion and guided him until they were almost at the back of the train where the groups were scraggly enough that it was safe to release the Hufflepuff's hand. But the older boy made no move to release his fingers so he shrugged it off as a Hufflepuff thing as he selected a nearly-empty compartment. Edmund's fingers reluctantly slid out of his with one final stroke to his palm that made Harry blush a bit because Asmodeus did the same thing, except he was usually snogging him when he did it.

Two older Ravenclaw boys were sleeping while a third who looked to be even older was reading a Healer's medical journal. Harry smiled at him to show he meant no harm and got a small one in return. The older boy read during the entire train ride and his friends somehow managed to sleep the entire time without one sign of waking up while Harry managed to nap, finish his book, and be convinced by Edmund to have yet another portrait done of him.

When the train finally came to a stop at Kings Cross station he hugged his friend tightly and near-commanded him to write him over the summer and possibly even come visit him. After practically skipping out the door, he paused to send one last wave before going off to meet up with his friends who had no doubt been scattered throughout the length of the train. Finding Draco after several minutes of unfamiliar faces they hugged and said they would stay in touch since Draco had something important he needed to tell him, and then Blaise and Ted came over and tackled him to the floor for not sitting with them as he had sort of promised to do earlier while eating breakfast at the Slytherin table for the first time that week (he was trying to spread himself around in his various circles as evenly as possible). They didn't seem _too _upset though, if the girly giggles were any sign…in fact, they seemed to be a sign that they were dropping a conjured ice cube down the back of his shirt out of 'revenge'. Harry shrieked and wriggled on the floor where he had landed, trying to get it out while Millicent and Daphne sauntered over and laughed a bit before kneeling and helping him get it out. He flung it at Blaise and it hit him between the eyes, much to the amusement of Cedric Diggory who had also come over to see what the ruckus was. Luna just smiled vaguely and took a bite out of a watercress sandwich and sipped some tea from a thermos she had been carrying under her arm. Harry smiled at her and rolled his eyes to show that his friends may be imbeciles sometimes but they were loveable imbeciles.

"Harry, we need to get moving if we are going to catch our train."

"Oh, yeah! Sorry guys, but my family can't pick me up so I have to go catch another train. See you guys in a couple of months, hopefully sooner!" He was crushed in a multitude of hugs before being unceremoniously being dragged off by an impatient Luna who had had the presence of mind to get in her farewells 10 minutes ago. Crossing the station to the wall barrier, they entered the Muggle world and sprinted to their new station and barely boarded in time, getting dirty looks from the passengers for scattering their trunks and various packages over the floor. Blushing a bit, they collected themselves and made their way over to an unoccupied bench upon which they crammed themselves and all their baggage. A man in a suit sitting across from them, probably on his way home from work, smiled with a spark of something impish in his eyes. Luna recognized him as one of her customers and sent him a meaningful look and flicked her eyes towards Harry to show that he should wait a bit before making a pass at her. He nodded almost imperceptibly to show he understood and unfolded his paper, turning to the economics section.

Luna removed a packet wrapped in wax paper and opened it on her lap to reveal a large amount of cucumber and watercress sandwiches. Angling it towards Harry in silent invitation, she was pleased when he delicately lifted one and sank his teeth into it. He didn't eat nearly enough for a growing body like his so she had made sure to set his favorites around him throughout the school year so he would eat more. Sipping some more tea that might have been spiked a bit, she offered it as well while Harry worked on his third of the small sandwich triangles. He swallowed and accepted it gratefully, taking a few careful sips so he wouldn't burn himself.

The train ride lasted half an hour for Harry, and he left with a full stomach and his belongings after kissing Luna's cheek.

Activating the potion she had stealthily sprinkled across the door the last time she was there, Bellatrix uttered the incantation and smiled as it exploded, scraps of shrapnel and powdered granite bouncing off of her shield spell. Gellert blinked for a bit from his position cross-legged on the floor and then grinned at her. Bellatrix's heart soared and she vanished the remains before daring to cross the gap and offer him her hand. He took it and they walked out side by side past the unconscious guards and through the maze of cells until they reached the outer gates where she apparatated them to her husband's estate.

End chapter 46

Review, my darlings!


	47. Chapter 47

A/N: crap! I don't think I did a disclaimer for this thing :S either way, I own nothing but a lot of clothes that don't match anything and were purchased at consignment shops, more books than a teenager should, and quite a few handmade dolls and notebooks filled with short stories and drawings as well as notations on the idiocy of the human race. My name is Abigail, not whatever the 'J' in JKR stands for. Glad this has been cleared up 

CHAPTER 47

Landing in her west parlor, she released the Dark Lord's hand before her husband saw and went into one of his fits like the one he'd thrown back in 6th year when Lucius had kissed her cheek because they happened to be under Mistletoe. Their Head of House had panicked, being the useless and grouchy fool he was, had to summon Severus Snape from his study corner to stuff calming potions down his throat while Crabbe and Goyle held him down. It had been the most interesting thing that had happened that year.

But back to the present, Rodolphus was shaking Gellert's hand and saying what a great honor it was to meet him in person and the like, while she noticed the subtle flexing of muscles in both of their hands which indicated that they were both squeezing a bit harder than strictly necessary. She rolled her eyes while mentally bemoaning the giant egos of men. Snapping her fingers for a House Elf, she requested tea and some refreshments before dismissing it and turning to smile at the men still having a staring match and doing the damnedest to break each other's hands without her noticing. Giving up once the tea arrived, she poured herself a cup and spiked it with the little flask of whisky she kept on her person at all times, added sugar, stirred, and then sat back to blow on it delicately before deigning to sip it. She selected a sandwich that looked tasty and bit into it, taking little bites as was expected of a lady and stretching her legs out before crossing them at the ankles.

It had been a good day, and her boys were coming home from Durmstrang soon so she needed to have the House Elves hidden away and instructed to flee should they make any move to capture them since several genetically altered House Elves from last summer were still living on the grounds, trying to understand how to use their new limbs and abilities thanks to her boy's experimentation. Why they couldn't just steal other children's rats and use them instead like she had growing up was beyond her. Nothing was ever good enough for men these days.

Laying a stack of papers on his newest secretary's desk, John proceeded to leave the building as soon as possible so he was able to arrive at the restaurant in time. He loosened his collar once he was in the elevator and began to resolve to not jump Rael in a public area if he could help it. The elevator made one of its irritating noises and he stepped out of the opening doors and sprinted to the apparatation point. The restaurant was several blocks away but he didn't want to arrive sweaty and possibly without his wallet as there had been a recent rise in minor crime around Wizarding London. He wasn't sure why, but he had felt something change in the Magical currents that flowed through the area, so maybe there was a Creature infection or something similar affecting the emotional state of those normally able to resist the urge to commit crimes. He would think about that later, he decided, when he landed in an alley flanking the building. Straightening his jacket and smoothing his hair a bit (he only managed to ruffle it further, but Rael had said he liked it so he wasn't too worried) he walked out into the Muggle sidewalk and entered the Indian restaurant calmly, looking around the smoky room until he spotted Rael's red mane standing out like a beacon. Grinning despite his best efforts (it had been a month. He was allowed to be excited, dammit!) he crossed the room, almost tripping over a young woman's purse along the way for which he apologized profusely and was treated to an appraising look followed by a slip of paper being handed to him with her phone number on it. Falling ungracefully into the Angel's lap, he inhaled his unique scent and sighed happily and closing his eyes for a few seconds to savor the sensation of arms around him and chilly lips pressing to the crown of his head.

"I missed you." He whispered, catching one of Rael's hands and kissing it and then stroking it absently as he looked up to meet his eyes and smile.

"I missed you too, but you might want to either reposition yourself or get off because I can't feel my leg anymore." His eyes were amused so John knew he wasn't upset or anything. Laughing a bit, he half-stood and shimmied around him to sit beside him in the booth and reached across it to move his place setting to where he could reach it. Taking a sip of his water, he felt Rael watching him and smiled at him over the rim of his cup and then setting it down.

"So…how have you been?" he asked, honestly curious about the mysterious missions and errands his boyfriend was sent on but not wanting to seem intrusive or nosy. He hated it when people besides Rael or his parents asked about his personal life, and did his best to ask vague questions so he wouldn't violate his own rules of what was and wasn't acceptable to ask.

"I have been alright. Just busy with stuff, and I was needed at some capture of this one guy we have been preparing for so that was probably the most interesting, or least boring really, thing that has happened during my entire absence. Kind of pathetic, don't you think?"

"Not at all. I think that whatever it is you do is important in some way, and even if it might not seem like it right now you might disagree later in life." Something suddenly occurred to him and he asked, "Actually, I was just wondering so if you don't want to answer it's alright, but are you alive or dead? Or neither? Does that kind of thing even affect you?"

"Well, I will be affected if you die. I have never really thought of myself as either of those since I spend an equal amount of time in all three…damn. I honestly do not know. What do you think? You're good at this kind of thing." He smirked at John's incredulous look and was swatted on the arm for his effort at being charming.

End chapter 47

Hey! I went to get the results of a career test earlier today, so sorry this is late  according to the test, I'm a genius with contradictions buried in my psyche and multiple thinking methods that are unusual to have more than one or something. I don't know if I should be flattered or confused as to what to do with the twenty-something career options they narrowed it down to. Help meh!


	48. Chapter 48

CHAPTER 48

Skipping up the steps to his house, Harry wiped the mud from his shoes off on the mat and stuck his key in the lock. He wished Asmodeus was with him but he couldn't do anything about his duties or take him with him yet. Brushing his hair out of his eyes upon entering, he decided to do something about his obstructive hair style and headed to the kitchen, after sending his trunk up the stairs to his bedroom, where he dug around in several drawers until he found a pair of scissors. Striding across the wood floor until he was back in the hall and in front of the mirror hung there, he carefully raised the scissors to eye-level and opened them so he could gage where he wanted the hair to fall when he was done. Satisfied, he pulled out his wand and straightened his hair and made sure it was flat and hanging in order before snipping off a few inches and angling the hair so it was longer on the sides of his face but shorter above his eyes.

Smiling at his improved field of vision, he wandered back into the kitchen and cleaned the scissors before putting them back in the drawer and opening a cabinet they usually kept bread in. locating the jar of vegemite and some tomatoes, he put the bread in the toaster and poured himself some water and sliced the tomatoes while he waited for it to finish. When it 'dinged' he removed the toast, burning his fingers in the process and yelping as he did so, he spread the vegemite over the bread along with some butter and then put the tomatoes on top. Taking a bite after carefully prodding it with his finger to make sure he wouldn't be burned again, he grabbed a napkin on his way upstairs to start unpacking while he waited for his guardians to come back from some kind of meeting they were attending. They had been acting very suspicious lately, and he was determined to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible.

The empty house made him feel slightly on edge, so he lay down to take a nap after emptying his trunk and organizing the books by separating the ones he had read from the ones he hadn't, and then alphabetizing the separate piles. The finished pile was consolidated into the growing one he had accumulated over the years and was stored in a miniaturized bottomless trunk he had created hidden under a loose floorboard in a corner of his closet that was usually covered by the carpet and over that a box of summer clothes under a freshening charm. Should their house ever be found, the searchers would be repelled by some powerful wards that were only passable if he wanted you to pass them and was in his right mind, completely sober. He drank the rest of his water and set it down before lying on his back, fully dressed and top of the coverlet. Normally he would sleep under them, but he knew that if he did that the last of Asmodeus' scent would leave and he wanted to save it for later tonight. His eyes slipped closed and he drifted off quickly since he really hadn't been getting enough sleep since he had been thinking too much about what he wanted to read, and had had several severe nightmares so the thought of sleeping had become somewhat associated with the negative. Asmodeus' absence had not helped matters, and the nightmares had started after he left so he knew he wasn't being unreasonable.

Smelling his boyfriend on his pillow made him smile and he was asleep soon afterwards.

He woke with a start when he heard the door downstairs open and slam close, rubbing his eyes a bit. Grabbing the knife out of his boot where he usually kept it, he noted that the sunlight formally filtering through his blinds had been replaced with the faint glow of the moon. He paused for a few seconds to admire it, and then tiptoed silently on the floor over to the door which he cracked open and slipped out of to peer over the railing down at whoever had entered. It was his guardians, so he relaxed and stealthily hid the knife back in the special pocket of his boot before making a bit more noise as he descended the stairs to greet them.

They looked surprised to see him awake, but smiled anyway and Vladimir hugged him really tight when he reached the foot of the stairs, whispering that they had missed him into his hair. Bronislav waited his turn, but when his brother made no move to let go he turned it into a group hug and kissed Harry's ear affectionately. He squirmed and laughed, just now realizing how much he loved the both of them, and absently wondering when his father and Maalik would be back from Sweden and the Black brothers from China.

Migrating to the kitchen Bronislav pulled out some leftovers and heated them in the oven while Vladimir related to Harry an experience with a centaur he'd had in his early 30s. Harry kept quiet about having assumed that was how old he currently was, but eventually asked, "Vlad, how old _are _you?"

The older man flushed and rubbed the back of his head when, seemingly without reason, his brother smacked him upside the head. When neither of them spoke, Harry raised an eyebrow as if to say 'I am not impressed' which made Bronislav blush as well and open his mouth several times, closing it again without making any sound. He turned his attention to his other guardian and repeated the procedure.

The results were the same so he pretended to shrug it off while mentally resolving to do some extensive research on the both of them at his earliest convenience while taking a sip of his water.

An hour later they decided to go to bed, and Harry took a quick shower before hand to hide the fact that he would be going on a very long walk instead of sleeping that night.

End chapter 48

Sorry not too much happened. Was busy but still wanted to contribute _something. _Love you all!


	49. Chapter 49

CHAPTER 49

Slinging one foot over the sill of his window, he pushed his wet hair out of his eyes and ever so carefully tested the strength pf the wood. When it didn't creak or feel springy he concluded that the wood was neither brittle nor rotting and used his hands to steady himself as he straddled the sill briefly. Both feet resting on the ledge, he crept along silently until he reached the roof of the front porch. Mindful of the loose tiles, he reached the edge and selected a support beam that looked like it wouldn't fill his hands entirely with splinters. Indeed, when he'd slid down it he only had 4 or 5 stinging his fingers and palms. Pulling them out carefully so he wouldn't tear his flesh too much, which would hurt like hell if he tried to do some of his summer homework, he surveyed the yard and waited for his eyes to adjust to the lighting. When they had, he focused them in a different way and the powerful lines of the property's wards came into view and he swallowed when he realized how complex they were. He'd known his guardian's were proficient at magic after Bronislav finally confessed having been privately tutored years and years ago by a retired Auror, but this was far more than could be expected of some hours of loose education. He'd never even seen some of these before in all of his studies of them in various libraries over Hogsmeade weekends with Luna and Draco, who also had an interest as he wanted to learn as much about the way his household was guarded in case Julius forbid him entrance when he gained control.

Taking deep breaths to keep calm and provide additional oxygen to his brain cells, he began to carefully examine them and document their effects in a notebook he had brought with him. He ventured into the woods and measured the property lines themselves and then matched them up to the wards, noting that the wards facing outwards contained strong repellants to nearly all magical creatures except a certain variety of Vampire he had never read about but had only heard myths. Leaning forward to peer curiously at it, he wondered what the Vampires would look like if they had that much of the usual genetic code rewritten the way it seemed to be. The first image that came to mind was Vladimir, and the more he thought about it the more suspicious he became. It would explain a _lot, _and it wasn't like it was something they would have told him because they wouldn't want him to be uncomfortable or feel threatened. Forgiving them for their silence, he jotted down his observation and a multitude of theories regarding a certain ward he still couldn't decipher.

He gave up when the sun began to rise and his eyelids were too heavy to keep open; he trudged back to the house, nearly twisting his ankle on a protruding root that had escaped his notice, only bruising it. Climbing back inside was considerably more painful with his new injury, but he managed and made sure to put some salve on it before collapsing face-down on his sheets fast asleep.

From the doorway Vladimir raised an eyebrow. He had become instantly alert when he'd heard little feet sneaking past his bedroom window, and had sent out a probe to make sure he wouldn't get hurt while he was out there by himself. Normally he would have followed him but he had been feeling a bit nippy and the insidious voice at the back of his head he tried so hard to suppress had started to whisper about just one little nibble not hurting anybody. Eventually he would have to feed again since he had been neglecting it, but the longer he could postpone it the better since, even if his meal was a mindless animal or a deformed one that was of no use anyway, he still felt a pang for killing something that was alive to prolong his existence. He would have starved himself years ago if it weren't for his brother's insistence that he would be very, very angry with him if he were to do so, and he really didn't put it past him to follow him into Hell itself and drag him back. His brother had been known to do some damned impressive things when truly pissed off, which thankfully didn't happen often. Or else the world would have most likely exploded a long time ago, leaving only a small patch floating in space with a seething Broni and his own cowering self…and of course Harry. He had been leery of the idea of his brother adopting some strange kid on a whim, but over the years the boy had proved himself to be a worthy chess opponent, dedicated scholar, and loyal to them regardless of the many bizarre quirks they couldn't hide from his probing emerald gaze. Those eyes would be the death (or re-death. I dunno which, since he _is _a Vampire) of him, or he would just end up giving in to them someday and spilling all of his carefully kept secrets would slowly go mad and-

His train of doom and gloom thought was cut off when his brother seemingly appeared out of nowhere beside him and asked what was going on. Gesturing to their fully-clothed and fast asleep charge, he waited for his brother to draw the proper conclusions. Hearing him make a noncommittal noise, he assumed he had and took a sip of his coffee spiked with blood he had filched from a Muggle blood bank several months ago and had preserved carefully. If he used it right, it could help take the edge off of his hunger and last for the next 2 months, or it would have if they weren't going to surprise the boy with tickets to the Quidditch World Cup an old friend had thrust upon them when he remembered that he had something going on that day. Gussie always was a strange one.

When watching the boy sleep began to get boring, he migrated down the stairs and into the kitchen where Regulus Black was putting away some groceries he had brought with him to help 'contribute to the household' since they were being allowed to stay for free. His brother would be joining them in the next few days when he'd finished wrapping up some stuff with the Goblins in Berlin who needed to speak with the denounced heir to the Black fortune privately.

Regulus sent him a friendly look (he had only ever seen him smile at his brother) and pulled something bottle-shaped out of a bag and tossed it to him. He caught it and immediately caught the scent of the blood of an exotic Creature wafting off of the glassy surface. His brain reeled and the little voice almost seemed to soar in pitch as it sang with the magical power of the blood, urging him to finally quench his thirst. Barely controlling himself, he set the bottle on the kitchen table and blinked until the red bled out of his eyes. Regulus smirked and said, "No need to thank me. I recognized your suppressed state the moment we met, and I apologize about it taking me so long to get you that. Don't be afraid: drink as much as you like. I have plenty more and intend to give it to you regularly so you won't starve."

"I cannot accept this." He squared his jaw against the almost profound desire to swallow every last drop of whatever was in that bottle. The second Black boy had been in Slytherin and he knew enough to not accept a seemingly free favor. Slytherins never gave without receiving at least something for their pains. "What do you want in return?"

He didn't even feign confusion, but immediately stated, "I would like you to deliver a message to the leader of the European Vampire Alliance. I am aware that you are not qualified to be in his presence and have no desire to be so, but the seal on the message will give you access and protection. They will not touch you after you have delivered it either. I have a portkey and have made all the arrangements, so it will take you an hour at the longest. I want nothing else, either now or ever again from you."

He thought it over. From what he could pick up of the man's intentions through his link to all Humans that he might feed off of, he knew that he wasn't lying and this was all he wanted. A life's supply of sustenance, and damn good sustenance too, for one small favor that involved him facing down one of the most fearsome beings in the hierarchy of leaders amongst Magical Creatures.

"Yeah, okay. I accept your offer. Should I deliver the thing first or drink the blood?"

Regulus shrugged. "I could care less. Just deliver it within the next 9 days is all I ask, since the seal loses its affect after that and I don't want the wrath of god knows how many people for your destruction."

"I agree. My brother can be…fierce when he even so much as suspects I am in danger."

"So I've noticed. If you'll excuse me, I need to use the loo." He brushed past him and the bloodlust roared to life once more. He barely unscrewed the top of the bottle in time and gulped down half of it in one go. He breathed harshly through his mouth and a grin spread over his lips. Regulus had somehow acquired the blood of a fully-grown Centaur, and the dangerous anti-Human kind from what he could taste after taking a careful sip. It made his fingertips tingle and he felt more alive than he had in all the years he had been denying himself proper care.

Things were looking up.

Maggie stared at the drop of condensation dripping down her 3rd beer in boredom, and wondered when she had been reduced to drinking alone in a seedy bar on a Monday afternoon. Her depression had reached an all-time low when a familiar voice asked from behind her, "Maggie? Maggie Dahl?!" Looking over her shoulder at the newcomer, she choked when she recognized Bo-Bae. She hadn't seen her since the Walpurgis meeting, and even though that had been just a few months previous, she had missed her.

"Bo! What are you doing _here, _of all places?" Her face was starting to hurt from the strain of her grin, but she really couldn't bring herself to care. Bo-Bae had been an Empress before it had happened, and she looked the part despite wearing a cheap sweater-dress in dull green with a pair of thigh-high gold boots worthy of a prosperous streetwalker. Her eyes were sparkling with energy that still managed to make her feel old despite the Empress being her senior by quite a few years and she had liked her the minute they had met all those years ago in a dusty office building filled with stuffed shirts and catty females whose only focus in life was how to catch the juiciest gossip first to share.

"Well, I was just working close to here as a dental hygienist, and decided to come here and burn the enamel off of mine. Or at least try. I have the day off anyways, and what better way to spend one's free time than drunk off my ass and possibly going home with some jerk tonight?"

Maggie laughed, knowing her friend was just pulling her leg and had probably just been walking past when she'd seen her trying to hypnotize herself via dripping beer. "Well, come sit. I'll buy you a drink, miss employed with a regular paycheck."

"Oh, thank you!" She slid herself onto the barstool beside her own with all the grace garnered from walking around a palace in ornate robes heavier than she was, and more gold than Maggie would probably ever see in her life. "Have you lost weight?" She asked, noting the slimness of Maggie's arm from where she had rolled up her shirt sleeves.

"Probably. It's hard to eat regularly with my line of work, if you know what I mean." Truth be told, her little visitation to Hell had made her very aware of her body and how fragile it was, even if she _was _immortal. Sure, she would come back if a Human killed her, but what about the In-Human Creatures and Beings out there? Lately she couldn't walk down a dark alley without looking over her shoulder in panic, afraid that she had angered the forces from Below somehow and they were now after her soul. She shivered without intending to and her friend removed her denim jacket and wrapped it around her, keeping an arm tucked around her waist in wordless support to whatever was troubling her. She took a sip of her beer and leaned her head on the Korean woman's shoulder, relaxing for the first time since the job that had somehow managed to rattle her badly.

End chapter 49

Whoa. This thing is really long, by my standards, so enjoy!


	50. Chapter 50

CHAPTER 50

He took a careful sip of the blood and surveyed his kitchen calmly. It was the middle of the night, and he was wide awake thanks to actually listening to his body's needs. The lights were off, and he was leaning against the counter beside the sink where some dishes were drying from dinner. Hearing the padding of feet, he sharpened his focus and saw Harry wander in and towards the pitcher of water they kept under a chilling spell after a brief detour to the cabinet with the glasses inside. He did not turn on the lights or show any signs of uncertainty in his steps. Pouring himself a glass, he took a long drink, set the glass down, and looked like he was about to leave when he suddenly turned and looked him straight in the eye, saying, "Goodnight, Vladimir." He then walked out quietly and ascended the stairs to his bedroom, leaving a very confused Vampire in his wake.

--

Two weeks later and they had sprung the tickets on Harry, receiving a far more enthusiastic response from his father who had jumped up and kissed him square on the mouth before doing the same to the introverted Healer that accompanied him everywhere. And for some reason James and Sirius punched each other while laughing in some fit of Quidditch-inspired ecstasy that had left Bronislav blinking, lips still parted somewhat from the kiss and tickets hanging limply from his fingers while Harry continued to read his book as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

"So, when do we leave?" Harry asked, pushing around some turnips on his plate at dinner that night. Bronislav wiped his mouth and smiled at the boy he considered to be his son, replying, "In a few days the portkey we're having custom made is supposed to arrive, and we'll have a couple days during which we will be there before everybody else while the final spells are being installed since I know one of the engineers. But the good part is that we get the best seats because Vladimir knows the architect himself."

"You know him?!" James exclaimed, accidentally sloshing some of his water on Maalik with his excited movements. He blushed and began to apologize while dabbing at his boyfriend's shirt with a napkin while Vladimir muttered to himself and glared at his brother for putting him in the spotlight. Who cared if he had saved the guy running it from a rabid pack of wolves a decade or so ago? The point was when they were leaving, wasn't it? He took a swig from his glass of water, wishing it was something else, and then finished off the rest of his chicken.

--

Harry was packing some comfortable clothes into a bottomless compartment of his shoulder bag, carefully lightening each item before setting them inside, when he felt something very warm and furry rub against his leg. He jumped and looked down to catch Asmodeus smirking at him in cat form before he transformed and began 'molesting' Harry's foot with his mouth much to Harry's irritation since it was very hard to concentrate when he did things like that. And to ask questions like 'where were you?' and 'why didn't you write me?'

Apparently growing bored with his foot, he moved up to his calf and stroked the bruise on his ankle from his little midnight excursion into the woods. The swelling had gone down, but he still got occasional twinges if he accidentally tensed a muscle in the bruised area. "How did this happen?" Asmodeus asked, lightly kissing the purpled skin so he wouldn't hurt him.

"Tripped on a mean-spirited root. Wasn't paying attention." Harry replied, folding the last pair of socks and tucking them into the nice little compartment. He then tried to walk across the floor with his boyfriend still clinging to his ankle, and since that wasn't going to fly he cast a quick levitation charm on his with a flick of his hair, which made the Demon hover a few centimeters over the floor as he moved around the room, reorganizing some extensive notes that had been piling up as he researched Vampires, looking for a hint of the bizarre variety Vladimir belonged to. Asmodeus stood up when he caught a glimpse of what Harry was doing and rested his chin on the crown of Harry's head, reading some of the notes with him before saying, "So you figured it out?"

"Yeah, I'm glad I found out on my own without somebody telling me, so I'm not mad you choose to deprive me of the vital fact that one of the people I live with has the characteristics of a rabid dog combined with a leech." He felt the Demon wince a little and quirked his lips, tilting his head back to kiss the underside of his chin before returning to his sorting, seemingly oblivious to the various 'problems' he was causing the Demon currently doing his damnedest to remember how old he was and how wrong it would be for him to touch him the way he wanted to right then. He didn't realize that Harry knew very well what he was doing, and was trying to wear down his resolve.

--

The "special" portkey turned out to be a rotting rat corpse in a sealed glass jar, black eyes wide and with maggots crawling over them. It smelled foul and all of the men were loathe to touch it lest they catch some incurable disease, or be stuck with the scent on them for the rest of their lives, but there was no hope for it. The very thought was enough to make Maalik shudder a little as he gingerly placed his hand on it next to James'. Since everybody was now cringing and holding the missive from Hell, Bronislav uttered the activation word and the world whirled in a mass of blurred colors and whispers of conversations and wind from the many places they passed.

Harry was glad he had placed an unbreakable charm on his bag when they were slammed into the ground because Asmodeus was hiding out in it and had he neglected to do so he would have been dealing with a sticky situation despite the Demon's inability to die.

--

End chapter \50

My god, 50 already? Celebrate with me by reviewing, please! Thank you 


	51. Chapter 51

A/N: Since I can't reply to anonymous reviews, I would like to formally thank all of you who have done so in the past and might do so in the future.

CHAPTER 51

The grass was slightly singed in some places, and he assumed that the workers must have been using those spots for fires at night when it was cold. A few feet away from their prone bodies were a few wizards wearing Muggle clothing and having a smoke. He could tell by the slight droop of their muscles that they had been working very hard to put the finishing touches on the stadium, so he smiled disarmingly to help them relax before they hurt themselves tensing their muscles. The younger-looking one smiled and the other two nodded sagely. The younger one suddenly raised his wand and sent some blue sparks into the air in some kind of signal, lowering it and replacing it in his sleeve afterwards as if nothing had happened. Harry blinked when his father's hand came into his line of vision, but accepted it and allowed him to pull him to his feet.

The workers were approaching and Harry squatted to retrieve his bag, shouldering it and leaning against his father's side which he knew made him look younger and more vulnerable, and he knew he needed that if the darkness seeping into his eyes after practicing the dark arts for so long was to be overlooked. He didn't know if any of them were trained to pick up the signs, but Asmodeus had warned him about what could happen if he was found out by some slimy Ministry official.

A short man with a mop of brown hair streaked with gray that eternally seemed to be flopping into his eyes came sprinting over the crest of the hill quite without warning and launched himself, when he was about half way down, at a stunned Vladimir. They crashed to the ground while the Human clung tightly to the Vampire and rattled off how much he had missed him and why, oh, _why _didn't he come and visit him more?!

Harry sniggered at his guardian's plight and sent a questioning look up at his father and then a significant look to the hill. His father nodded and said, "Don't go too far or get in the worker's way, okay?"

"Alright; I'll be back soon, and if you miss me that much, just send up some green sparks. I'll keep my eyes open for them, m'kay?"

"Good. Now get your butt out of here." He playfully commanded, nudging him between his shoulder blades which made him stumble forward a few steps due to his delicate but lengthening build (the top of his head now reached his father's shoulder). He sent his dad one last grin before cresting the hill and descending into the wide fields that were divided into plots of land for the tents of the masses that were to be arriving the day after tomorrow if he remembered correctly. In the distance he could see the stadium's gleaming sides and the enormous posters of the teams of Bulgaria and Ireland so clearly that he could pick out and name the players. Spotting Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker Cedric Diggory was so excited about seeing live at last, he memorized his features and resolved to get his Hufflepuff friend an autograph since he had a birthday coming up and until now he'd had no idea what to get a nice person not at all interested in the Dark Arts. Or liquor, which was always appreciated by both Luna and his older friends in his own house. That and cigarettes were permanently in high demand, so it was wise to conceal them if passing through their territory alone.

Deciding that the length of the field was too much to walk across manually, he looked around to make sure none of the sporadic groups of workers drawing the salt lines that plotted the land were paying him any mind before willing himself to be on the other side of the field. With a tiny rushing sound and a faint puff of smoke left behind, he appeared on the other side with his nose pressed to the wall. Coughing a little from the smoke, he took a step back and followed the curve of the stadium for about 45 minutes, all the while regularly checking for sparks, until he reached the side set against the rocks that formed the foothills of the mountains surrounding the area and entered the salt lines meant to deter any pedestrians from the player's tents. They had no affect on his hardened magical core which had experienced and passed through far more complex defenses meant to keep students from going too far into the Forbidden Forest.

The Irish were on the other side of the curved outer wall of the stadium, so he was now in temporary Bulgarian territory, if the red tents and dark-featured Wizards milling around didn't give it away. He ducked into the shadow of a tent when one of the older men came close to where he had been standing, not wanting to get into trouble so soon and without first cornering Krum for an autograph. Switching his eyesight, he scanned the tents until he found the one with an aura of one with fast reflexes that were greater than the other auras. Keeping to the shadows, he made his way to the tent and slipped in the back entrance to it silently, surveying the scattered clothing, books, and various personal possessions of the two men sharing the tent impassively until his gaze landed on the seeker sitting on his bed directly across from him and eyeing him with curiosity. He asked, "Who are you, little boy? Are you lost?" In a thick accent, standing up and crossing the room to loom over him despite his bad posture. Harry turned on the charm and removed a smooth square of parchment from his bag as well as a Muggle pen, politely asking in fluent Russian thanks to a translation spell if he could have an autograph for his friend's birthday. Krum blinked and then nodded, taking the pen and signing his name with a flourish and a slightly disappointed smile. Checking his aura, Harry noticed that he was lonely and slightly homesick, which made him rethink his escape plan. True, his father could be looking for him…but then again, who cared when he had the chance to do something good? Making his decision, he dropped to the ground in an Indian-style pretzel and brightly asked what he thought of the United Kingdom so far, and if anybody had given him too much trouble in the Muggle transportation areas.

Viktor looked relieved to see that he wasn't leaving or asking about his Quidditch technique, so he launched into a story about a horrific encounter with security personnel in an airport when one of his Chasers had tried to bring a pocket knife onboard the plane, and failed to see why he was being forced to surrender his property when it was harmless, and the rest of the team minus himself had chimed in and begun to detail the various weapons that actually were dangerous and why they had chosen to leave those at home, much to the horror of their coach and the unfortunate staff. They had been escorted out of the airport and had needed to put glamours on both themselves and their passports before managing to sneak back in on different flights and in groups or two or three instead of a pack like before.

Harry burst out laughing several times during the story, waving off the seeker's concern when he started coughing a bit. His throat had been irritable lately, and he thought it might have something to do with the new brand of cigarettes he'd been using for the past month, so he would go back to his previous brand when he found somebody to pawn the cigarettes onto. "Well, I had to use the remains of a dead rat as a portkey, but that is less interesting than your story."

"No, I am interested." His eyes suddenly widened and he exclaimed, "Wait, I don't even know your name! Here I was running off my mouth about aero planes, and didn't even bother to be properly hospitable to my guest… I am so sorry for being rude and not asking or anything…" He trailed off; face fire-engine red and hands fidgeting by his sides. Harry smiled and said, "That's okay. We kind of skipped the whole introduction process altogether, so I don't blame you for forgetting. My name is Harry Potter, and I'm here with some family and friends of family to see the game."

"And how old are you, Harry?"

"13, but I turn 14 in a few weeks." His eyes widened and he leaned forward slightly.

"Really? I'd never have guessed." Harry laughed a little and said, "Yeah, I look really young but at least I've been growing a little in the past year."

"I took a while to sprout too, but I got it eventually so I suppose that is all that matters."

"True, true." Harry nodded in agreement, and then jumped when a loud mewling sound came from his bag. "Holy shi-" He cut off his swearing before he possibly scandalized the Bulgarian and hurriedly undid the sturdy clasps on his bag, barely getting them undone before 'Raito's' head popped out and mock-snarled at him in irritation for being kept cooped up so long while he chatted with another alpha male. The rest of the furry body appeared shortly afterward and curled itself protectively in his lap, a low purr rumbling out of his throat when he buried his nose in his flat stomach, nuzzling it when Harry sighed before petting his ears.

Looking up he saw Viktor had a fascinated look on his face, eyes focused on his overly-affectionate white feline. "Ah, this is my familiar Raito. I've had him since I was 9, and he's quite attached to me despite having a habit of sneaking off at random moments." He glared at the Demon in disguise accusingly, receiving only a lick to his shirt as an apology for his disappearances.

"W-what kind of cat is that? I've never seen a cat with a bone structure like that before…"

"Well, the funny thing is, I have studied a lot of books and I still can't figure out what breed he is, but he eats whatever I give him and hasn't gotten sick once throughout the almost 7 years I've owned him. But gods forbid he does come down with something, since I'll have no idea how to help him."

Viktor nodded and moved from his seat on the edge of the bed to kneel beside the boy and tentatively raise his hand towards the cat. When Raito looked like he might bite him, Harry tugged warningly on his left ear and the claws retracted and his mouth closed back over his teeth. His tail continued to wave back and forth angrily, though, but it abruptly stopped when Krum's fingers found the sensitive spot under his chin and ruthlessly stroked it until he couldn't help but purr.

"You're cat is very beautiful, Harry."

--

End chapter 51

Hey! Its long and we gets to see buff athletes, so be nice and review!


	52. Chapter 52

CHAPTER 52

Luna took a long sip of her iced tea spiked discretely with vodka and wandered through the wards meant to keep any and all pedestrians without official Ministry papers and tickets to the games out, Raphael humming something under his breath as he strolled beside her. The large pack containing both of their clothes and provisions for the next 2 days was hanging loosely from his shoulder, swinging against his side whenever he took a particularly large step. Luna glanced at him from under her lashes and blushed when she noticed he was already looking at her, gray eyes bemused as he took a drag from his 5th cigarette that morning (Haha, chain-smoking doctor!) and offered it to her. She shook her head, having already gotten her nicotine fix a while ago and not wanting to feed it any more lest it become a regular habit. Cigarettes got expensive after a while, and having her focus shattered by an addiction other than alcohol was not something she wanted to endure for the rest of her life since rehabilitation would be even more out of her price range.

They reached the end of the woods that covered the foothills of the mountains and entered the enormous field being used for the tents of the observers who would be arriving the day after tomorrow and wandered about, hoping that since they were already so far into the area that none of the workers still setting up salt lines despite the time of day wouldn't ask to see any papers. Raphael had forged some, but he had warned her that he didn't know how much the charms designed to see through forgery had advanced since the last time he had been forced to do this, and that the best policy when caught by the Ministry was to make up a sob story or blackmail the Minister himself. When she'd asked how he knew that, he had just given her one of his most irritating ineffable smiles, kissed her cheek, and said, "Never you mind." before going back to his book on Angina infections. She had pouted, finished her wine, and crawled onto his lap where she curled herself up and fell asleep, for once happy that her growth spurts seemed to be a long way in coming if it meant he would still let her do this.

A hand on her arm brought her back to reality and she looked up at him in question. He wordlessly gestured to a group of Wizards, one of whom resembled Harry in some degree (it was mostly the tangled mass of black hair that gave it away), who was frantically asking one of the workers if he had seen a young boy walk past or seen anything at all of any child in the last few hours. The harassed man shook his head, looking nervous under the powerful gaze of the strange man, and answered, "I haven't seen nobody today but my working team and the manager of this part of the project. Aren't no little boys wandering around where they not supposed to be."

"Damn." The man cursed, releasing the man from his attention and sending up green sparks with his wand once again. "I _told _him not to go too far, but I guess he did so anyway." He swung around and addressed a young man who looked to be in his early twenties or late teens and demanded, "You heard me warn him, didn't you Maalik?"

"Of course I did. And so did he, I think, but since he is young he must have forgotten."

"No, no, we both know how responsible Harry is. He wouldn't just forget like this…something must have happened and-" He was cut off by Harry coming into view with someone who looked very much like the Bulgarian Seeker they had been hearing so much about, and that creepy pet his son adamantly refused to have examined by a veterinarian despite James' arguments that the feline was clearly 'off' in some way.

Rushing over to his son, James began fussing over him, examining his face and limbs for any sign of injury while scolding him for wandering off and not coming back even after he had signaled with the sparks more than 10 times. Then he noticed that the Krum look-a-like was still standing there, looking amused and the weird cat seemed to have taken a liking to him since it was snuggling against his leg looking scarier than usual with a certain gleam in its eyes. "Ah, Harry, who is your…um, friend?"

"Oh!" Harry snapped his attention to the older boy and smiled before saying, "Viktor, this is my father, James Potter. Dad, this is Viktor Krum. I'm sorry I was gone for so long, but I ran into him and we started talking and before I knew it was happening several hours had passed. But I swear I didn't do anything I wasn't supposed to be doing."

"Besides somehow getting passed the wards around my tent, that is." Viktor contradicted, raising an eyebrow when Harry pouted at him, crossing his arms which only served to make him look smaller and more adorable. Deciding that now would be a good time to make themselves known, Luna and Raphael came into Harry's line of sight, which garnered the expected result of Luna letting loose a squeal and hugging him while eh repeated the performance, minus the girly noise of happiness, of course, and they stood there chattering about how wonderful it was that they had both ended up there together and how they were going to buy each other sweets and sodas while James eyed the blond girl warily. He had noticed that the girl had an odd disposition when she and her father had eaten dinner with them last year, but she was also a pleasant and intelligent individual whom his son seemed to think highly of, so he was willing to allow a girl with her family history near his son for now.

Raphael smirked and flicked the ashes from his cigarette onto the grass with casual grace before sauntering over to the children and tugging on one of Luna's braids to get her attention. She released Harry and announced, "Everybody, this is my cousin Raphael who is chaperoning me while I'm here, so be nice to him." She winked. "So, have you guys decided where to set up camp yet?"

"Yeah, we've chosen this little plot a little ways over there." Bronislav indicated a lone tent in one of the finished sectors and Harry nodded in approval of the location.

"Well, why don't we all go over there and see what kind of stuff we have on hand for food?" Harry suggested, kneeling briefly to lift his pet and cradle him in his arms.

"Sounds fine by me." Vladimir chimed in, looking to Regulus for support. The Slytherin nodded with his brother and it was decided, so the entire group began to move towards the tent, and once they reached it Raphael opened the pack he was sharing with Luna and removed a small box. Opening it, he removed what looking like a tightly folded piece of gray cloth, but when he muttered something it swelled in his hands and he tossed it up into the air where it shaped itself into a roughly hexagonal shape and landed perfectly inside the plot next to the Polski's, Potter's, and Black's tent. It had runes that were unknown to them covering it, and seemed to glow just a little in the fading sunlight of late afternoon. James blinked. "Well, isn't that fascinating?"

"Yes it is." Raphael agreed, looking somewhat bemused. Luna gently touched his arm and he gave her a wan smile before looking to the group and asking which tent they wanted to settle in. The general consensus was the Polski's, so they shuffled inside the enlarged interior and settled themselves on the sofas provided while Bronislav dug through the various food his brother had helped him pack and preserve that morning. Viktor had looked somewhat uncomfortable with being around so many strangers at first, but had relaxed when James revealed that he used to play Seeker for Gryffindor in school, and hadn't been half bad during his stint either.

Harry watched all of this with faint amusement, while Luna leaned sleepily against his side and eventually drifted off. Raphael carried her to their shared tent late that night when they'd all agreed that it was time to go to bed so they would be fresh for tomorrow despite there being nothing whatsoever going on just yet.

--

End chapter 52

Okay, do you guys like it so far? Let me know if introducing Viktor so soon was a mistake or no. and any information from the book about the quidditch match itself would be very much appreciated. 


	53. Chapter 53

A/N: On an unrelated/kind of sort of related note, when I say dreadlocks and the character sporting them isn't Dean or Blaise (or any other African-American character. I'm not savvy with descriptions, only the names), they are going to look a lot more like the hair extensions worn by cyberpunks to nightclubs. Yep.

CHAPTER 53

Waking up at 4 as usual, Harry didn't feel like getting out of the makeshift bed he was sharing with his father and Maalik, so he snuggled down into the covers and felt around for wherever Raito had sequestered himself, having been forced to retain his feline form all night instead of being able to hold Harry in his arms like he wanted to. Spotting a roll of blankets closer to the foot of the bed, he reached down and tugged up one of the corners, green eyes catching yellow and then two rows of sharp teeth and a pink tongue between when the Demon yawned widely and then sent him a grin worthy of the Cheshire Cat. Harry was momentarily confused, but when he saw the tell-tale tensing of muscles, he squeaked and tried to scamper away as quietly as possible, failing miserably when the Demon pounced, landing on his stomach and batting at Harry's fringe playfully with his paw while purring loud enough to make his father snort in his sleep and reach out for Maalik, pulling the Healer against himself tightly and burying his face in his recently cropped hair while inhaling deeply. Harry giggled quietly and ran a hand through the soft fur along his spine and pressed his nose to the top of his head, smelling even through the disguise the faint scent smoke, incense, sulphur, and some kind of heady flower that reminded him of lilies.

Flopping onto his back and pulling up the covers again, he tugged experimentally on one of Raito's ears, getting a small nip to his fingers in retaliation. He sighed happily, hoping that he wouldn't lose such moments later in life, that he wouldn't become too jaded to see how lovely the sky was, or how wonderful the flowers smelled. Sniggering at the Hufflepuff direction his thoughts had taken, he drifted into a daydream, fingers still moving soothingly through the cat's fur.

--

They did next to nothing on the second day, passing the time by talking, reading, and Luna beat James in chess 23 times in a row before taking on Raphael, and they were at it for several hours in a vicious tie that made Harry wonder which one of them would crack first and fling the board at something solid…preferably their opponent's skull. But neither of them did, and the only sign of stress was a small bead of sweat making its way down the side of Luna's throat as she put one of her pieces in a deliberately tempting spot, which turned out to be a ploy that left his King open, allowing her to smash it to pieces with her Bishop. She smirked in triumph and he stuck out his tongue in a surprisingly childish gesture, taking a sip of his beer and saying that he was going for a walk, and maybe heckle some of the vendors setting up for tomorrow. Luna waved her hand to make the chessboard pack itself up and pulled on some boots in a wordless sign that she was coming with him, sending a questioning look at Harry who nodded and grabbed his sweater because it was windy today. Raito, curled into a little ball of fluff at the foot of the Chesterfield sofa cracked an eye when he smelled Harry's wakening energy and mewled a bit. Harry sighed and picked him up, pretending to be annoyed, and set him gently in his shoulder bag. Maybe he could go say 'hi' to Viktor if he wasn't busy getting ready for the game with his team…

--

The next day dawned bright and pleasantly warm, and through the walls of the tent Harry could hear people talking and walking past with the various sounds their belongings made as they passed by. Barking dogs and banging pots, screaming babies and the elderly scolding over-excited grandchildren or great-grandchildren when they wandered too far, aurors and officials trying to keep everybody under control while keeping their own tempers placid while dealing with particularly difficult groups.

Since he could no longer concentrate on the book he had been reading in the previous quiet of early morning, he scribbled a note saying he'd gone to explore and see what they had set up during the night, and if he wasn't back by lunch don't worry about him: it meant he had been able to snag Viktor and make him stop freaking out about the game and _eat something. _

Since Raito was fast asleep and would be able to read the note should he wake up and miss him, he elected to go alone. Wearing shorts because of the heat and a thin t-shirt that had the tendency to slip off his shoulder at inappropriate moments (he despised the shirt, but it was comfortable and everything else was dirty and he didn't feel like using magic to clean them at the moment) and it had made a few older men leer at him in the past, which was always unsettling, he slipped his bare feet into his usual pair of leather boots that had been showing the signs of his abusive treatment of them (they were forced into puddles, muddy outdoor classes, knee-high snow drifts, and kicked off whenever it was convenient for him) for months now.

Pulling his hair back into a braid which flopped over his shoulder because his braids were always crooked no matter how hard he tried, he pushed back the flap to the tent and cast a silencing spell around the enclosure once he was out so the inconsiderate newcomers wouldn't wake his family up, he smiled his most charming smile at an old lady so she would let him slip through the crowded line to get to the vender serving coffee. Digging out some sickles, he handed her the correct amount and requested a large with lots of sugar. She blinked at him over her glasses for a second or two before shrugging it off as none of her business and added some whipped cream to the top because he reminded her of her youngest daughter Alice, who was 8. His eyes widened at the cream, but he grinned so she assumed it hadn't been too forward of her and waved goodbye before he disappeared from view into the crowd.

Having finished half the coffee, he began to eat the cream and take little sips of the dark liquid in between licks of his fingers, eyes scanning the various booths and tourist-esque people vying for the attention of officials with badges that said 'information' on them. He felt sorry for them, but not sorry enough to use magic to place the answers to the people's questions into their heads like he had been momentarily tempted to.

After several hours of wandering in the general direction of the stadium side that he knew the Bulgarian team, all of whom had taken a liking to him, was sequestered, he grew bored of walking and having confused Wizards and Witches bumping into him, so he entered one of the regularly placed public restrooms, found a stall, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. He reappeared in a copse of trees several meters from the scarlet tents concealed behind a barrier to the naked eye. Striding through it like wasn't there; he waved at one of the Chasers who called hello to him before slipping inside Viktor's tent and scowled when he noticed him pacing a ditch into the floor, hands sporadically combing through his short brown hair and muttering formations and tactics under his breath. Clearing his throat, he watched with some amusement as the Seeker jumped and stared at him, wild-eyed and looking like he hadn't slept a wink. Rolling his eyes, he approached slowly; keeping their eyes locked, and he placed his arms around the older boy's waist. He gave it a squeeze and said with perfect confidence, "You will be fine, I promise you. And even if you don't win, you are still an incredible Seeker and I will still be cheering for you, okay?"

The Bulgarian nodded shakily and prevented him from letting go by picking him up and nearly crushing him in a hug. Harry belatedly realized that there would be some serious cat-scratching if Asmodeus were to appear and see this display, and the thought was only reinforced when Viktor asked, "Where is your pet?"

He chuckled a little and replied, "Sleeping."

--\

The stadium was glowing with a golden light that shone like a beacon all the way to Harry's tent, and the crowds were milling forward in an uncoordinated effort to get to the stadium and find their seats as fast as possible. They weren't heading out just yet because the architect had apparently reserved them prime seats with the Minister and everything, so they just had to wait until the crowd thinned a little and then they could head straight up with their guide, a middle-aged witch who worked for the Ministry and would be sitting in the same box. The moment she had arrived, she had caught sight of Luna and immediately begun to fawn over her and even now she was sitting on the couch with a now very spoiled Luna curled in her lap telling her a story about two of her multiple cats long courtship and how they now had 14 kittens. Harry had wisely kept out of sight when he'd observed the woman's reaction to children, and was discretely hidden behind the bedroll he shared with James and Maalik which was behind the sofa the females had commandeered, and since he was out of sight he had let Asmodeus transform and barely managed to put up a silencing and deterrent spell before his mouth was attacked with kisses, and in between the kisses, during which he tried to catch his breath and not make too much noise despite the silencing spell, he whispered about how much he missed him and why the hell was he teasing him today? When he asked what he meant by teasing the Demon had given him an incredulous look which quickly turned to one of deviance, smirking and running his palms up his half-bare thighs suggestively. Harry realized what he was talking about, blushed despite himself, and tried to suffocate the gasp threatening to well out of his throat when the hands began to cover the cloth of his shorts, thumbs on his inner thighs and stroking as they went higher and higher-

He moaned and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's neck, pulling him closer so he could simultaneously kiss him and straddle his lap while still remaining out of sight from the people on the other side of the couch fully unaware of their denizens. Running his tongue along Asmodeus' lower lip, he slipped it inside and rubbed it experimentally against the roof of his mouth, purring when one of the hands on his thighs rubbed at the place where his hips joined to his legs, moving to the crux of his limbs and rubbing the cause of the rushing sound in his ears. They'd never gone this far before, but Harry really didn't care. In fact, all he cared about was that Asmodeus for god's sake wouldn't stop touching him, and that the mouth that had moved to his neck would never go away…or at least not until he had had his fill, which he didn't think was possible at that moment. Feeling his back connect with the soft fabric of the bed, he wondered when they had moved, but that thought drifted off with the rest of his brain when the teasing hand stopped teasing and slipped down his shorts to torture until he couldn't keep the embarrassing noises in and let out a loud noise that might have been his name, or a curse word in a different language when his vision went white and he knew he had just ejaculated, but was too tired to care about the sticky mess that was covering half his stomach and pooling in his navel. It was warm and so was Asmodeus, who had just whispered something that made the still-warm liquid disappear, not even leaving behind a residue. He shivered a little, and then raised himself on his elbows to see Asmodeus looking at him like he was some kind of Angel, and pressed his warm lips to his stomach, whispering, "I hope I didn't rush you."

Harry smiled reassuringly and reached down to tug on one of his ears, which was an affectionate gesture he'd grown used to giving him when he was with him class or ajust anywhere as a cat and did something endearing. "I don't mind. Can-can we do that again some time?"

"Of course we can." He kissed his stomach again and risked a look at the other people in the room, who were still unaware of their illicit act. "I think they want to go soon. The lady is letting Luna get off her lap."

"M'kay. I'm kinda sleepy though. Think I can skip the game?" Harry joked, letting his boyfriend fasten his shorts for him despite his sudden shyness that he was doing his damnedest to overcome.

"Heh, I don't think that would go over well, and we need to support Viktor."

The rest of the group had left the tent, leaving him alone. The deterrent spell must have made them think he was waiting outside. Offering his hands, he asked, "Help me up?"

Asmodeus rolled his eyes but pulled him to his feet anyway and steadied him when he swayed dangerously, looking completely debauched with his ruffled hair, wrinkled clothes, flushed cheeks and swollen lips. He absent-mindedly cancelled the charms and stepped outside with his boyfriend once in feline form and looking particularly smug as he rubbed his head against the bare skin of Harry's calf above the top of his boot. James stared at him in surprise, sputtering about looking all over for him. "I took a nap." Was his excuse, and it would explain his sleepiness and somewhat ill-put together appearance. James nodded in understanding and wrapped a guiding arm around his shoulders as they followed the excitable and possibly pedophilic woman to the stadium along with some stragglers. The game would start in 15 minutes so they had to move fairly fast in order to arrive in time and find their seats, settle in, and be introduced politely to all the wonderfully important people in the box with them.

Stepping off the lift that had carried them alarmingly high, and very fast too, they entered a carpeted, rectangular box with 10 minutes to spare. The chairs were arranged in neat rows along the edge of the high railing, and nine chairs grouped together at one end contained familiar redheads who were staring at them along with everybody else. James coughed nervously and smoothed his sweater, releasing Harry in the process, who ignored the eyes following him and headed to the shorter platinum blond sitting next to a slender woman he knew to be his mother Narcissa. "Hi Draco!" he greeted, seeing the gray eyes widen in recognition.

"Harry! I'm sorry, but I didn't recognize you!" He got out of his chair, ignoring his brother's outstretched foot aimed to trip him and hugged him, and they started to describe to each other what they had been doing in the time between when they'd last seen each other, and then Ginny shyly came over despite her parents confused looks and he hugged her before she got skittish and asked her how she'd been. Draco nodded to her over Harry's shoulder and she smiled a little, not wanting to look too friendly in front of her parents. The little reunion was put to a stop when the announcer for this game, Ludo Bagman, stepped out of a different lift and greeted the Minster jovially. Given the go signal, he placed a _sonorous _charm on his throat and then began to announce the teams and their mascots while Harry excused himself from his friends and sat next to Luna, who was being hugged to the side of the woman who was now ogling him in surprise, practically screaming with her eyes that she wanted him to sit on her other side, which was somewhat creepy so he pulled a purring Asmodeus closer to his chest and crossed his legs in case she was really was a pedophile. Looking around, he saw that some Veela were representing the Bulgarian team, and that they were causing quite a stir with the male members of the audience. Apparently the volume control spell that he'd put on his ears to prevent Bagman's voice from making him deaf was also keeping him from doing something embarrassing like standing on the railing…like the Minster himself was currently doing. This seemed to amuse the Bulgarian Minister, though, and Harry felt a sudden kinship with the foreigner, displaying this by sending the man a smile accompanied with a roll of his eyes at Fudge. The Bulgarian grinned back and leaned over the stuffy official sitting between Harry and him, asking in a thick accent what his name was. Offering his hand to shake, he replied in the man's own language, "I'm Harry Potter, here on the architect's wishes. You are the Bulgarian Minister, yes?" down the row on his other side he knew his guardians and the rest of his entourage were staring at him open-mouthed, apparently unaware of his language skills.

He raised an eyebrow at them and mouthed 'what?' but they weren't paying attention anymore since Bagman was introducing the players. The game was about to begin.

--

End chapter 53

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	54. Chapter 54

CHAPTER 54

Despite not being much of a quidditch enthusiast, unlike the rest of his family, the game was far more impressive than the school matches he was sometimes dragged to, and Viktor pulled some rather spectacular stunts that had made his breath catch and his hands grip the railing tight enough to splinter some of the wood covering. The Bulgarian Minister appeared to be the only one to notice his little slip-up, though, and he instinctively knew that while the man would hardly rat him out, he would want some explanations later for that little bit of unusual force.

Krum's Wronski Feint made his heart stop altogether, and then he was on his feet cheering with the rest of his group when the Irish Seeker fell for it and rammed into the ground. Harry was impressed that the man was able to get back up into the air after that, and looked upon Ireland with friendlier eyes. It was just as well, because they won by 10 points, and Krum caught the snitch in a spectacular twirling move that should have left anybody dizzy. Then again, most of the spinning could be attributed to the bludger he'd taken to the face, blood streaming behind him like flags as he chased the golden ball, catching it and holding it aloft, spine straight and the revealed features of his face proud despite losing. Harry had clapped and cheered despite their loss, since they had played bravely and beautifully and that alone earned them his admiration.

When the Irish team was brought into their box to receive their reward, Harry sent a smile to the Seeker who had managed to survive ramming himself into the ground twice in one game. When they had left, the Bulgarian team trudged in and was given a trophy as well, since making the World Cup in of itself was enough to merit one. He smiled at Krum, receiving a bloody grin back which turned into a scowl when one of the mediwizards hovering over him tried to swab at the blood still seeping from some cuts on his head, as the bleeding from his nose had slowed considerably. This might have had something to do with the wandless healing charms Harry had begun casting the moment the metal ball had collided with his head out there. He wondered if that had been illegal…probably was. He shrugged a little at his thoughts and took a sip of the fresh coffee he had managed to order for him and Luna without his guardians noticing. They had turned it into Irish coffee, and it had prevented them from getting chilled all the way up here with all the wind generated by the players.

Once the various officials and other such people in the box began to rise to exit and join the various parties no doubt being started downstairs, Harry hurriedly handed the coffee to Luna who drained the dregs in record time and handed the cup to Raphael who crumpled the paper into a tiny ball and chucked it at the Weasley boy wearing glasses and looking like he had a rather firm pole for a spine. He glared at the twins, obviously mistaking them for the culprits, and then sniffed in a distinctly prissy way and gathered his things together, preparing to follow the British Minister of Magic to the lift.

Sending a begging look to his father who rolled his eyes but nodded, Harry grinned at Luna who tugged on Raphael's sleeve, using it to tug him down to whisper in his ear. He nodded and stood, pulling on his suit jacket in one fluid motion before leading the way to the lift that was just returning from having carried the Minister to the lower levels. At the last minute the Weasley twins leapt out of their seats and slipped inside, one conveniently on either side of Raphael, who had his hands on Luna's shoulders so he could guide her through the crowds while she dozed a little from all the liquor they'd put in the coffee.

"So, you're the one who biffed Percy with a bit of paper, then?" asked the one on the right, looking as though Christmas had come early. Remembering their reactions to James and Sirius, Harry was glad he had discretely cast notice-me-not charms on them while in the elevator or else their 'grand entrance' would have been a lot messier and far more embarrassing. Raphael inhaled deeply, and Harry winced when he remembered that was a sign that the Angel was getting irritated. He stomped on the closest twin's foot, which seemed to be Fred, and the redhead yelped, sending him a glare.

"Oi! What was that for?!"

"My friend isn't in the mood for silly questions. Sorry." Harry shrugged, not looking sorry at all as he removed a lolly from his pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth. Handing the wrapper to Raphael, he watched his transform the bit of sheer red cellophane into a heart-shaped hair pin and stuck it in one of Luna's braids. The Ravenclaw made a little noise in her half-sleep and turned around to snuggle her face into his waist in a surprisingly kittenish gesture that made the twin's eyebrows rise. Harry glared at them which seemed to do the trick since they sobered and avoided his gaze from then on.

Stepping out, Harry led the way to the closest dark corner where they apparatated to their tents and Harry helped Raphael settle Luna into bed, smiling a bit when the Angel kissed her forehead and settled on the floor rug to read some medical journal that seemed to be written in some variety of kanji that he wasn't familiar with. "Um, call me if anybody asks where I am, okay?" he said, meaning the mental connection all magical things had but seemed to be largely unaware of.

"Alright. and nice job on shutting those twins up." Raphael winked, removing his cigarette pack and lighter from his breast pocket and lighting one, offering Harry one which he accepted, letting the blond light it for him before exiting the soothing blue tent to the chaotic partying outside of it. People wearing green seemed to have gone mad…or drank far too much on an empty stomach and Harry was very happy for the salt line that prevented private property from being destroyed in the wake of the ecstatic Humans. He shook his head and took a drag of his cigarette, wading gracefully through the crowd and tents until he reached one of the vendors selling beer. Sure, it was the cheap kind and would probably taste nasty but the spiked coffee hadn't been enough and he knew he needed to loosen up, so he ordered some, manipulating the seller's mind into seeing someone older. Swigging half of it and then finishing off the rest of his cigarette, he bumped into someone much taller than him in a brief moment of inattention. Muttering an apology he tried to walk around whoever it was without looking at them but was stopped by a large hand wrapping around his upper arm. He raised green eyes to meet amused blue and recognized him as one of the older Weasley boys that had been sitting in the box with them and had sent him a rather explicit once-over when he'd first entered the compartment. He blushed, realizing that he was smoking _and _drinking in front of an adult that might want to molest him. Not good.

"So, what's your name, cutie?" there was a faint slur to his words that did not bode well for him, so he tugged a little at the hand restraining him, his plight unknown to the various carousing people milling within feet of them. He considered calling for help, but since the man technically hadn't done anything serious just yet he kept his voice at a normal decibel level as he replied, "Harry. Harry Potter, and I go to school with some of your siblings."

"Yeah?" Realization dawned in his eyes and he grinned. "_You're _that Slytherin boy who's been nice to Ginny-kins?" He whistled, looking genuinely impressed. "Kid, you have got guts to do that, considering how many protective males she has hovering over her."

Harry blushed brighter and nervously rubbed the back of his neck with his free arm, feeling a little uncomfortable with the bright-eyed look the redhead was giving him. Realizing that he didn't know his name, he sheepishly asked for it. "I'm Bill, the oldest. I've been hearing a lot about you from my sister when she writes, and I must confess I thought she was exaggerating when she said you looked like an Angel." The fingers on his arm started to stroke a bit through the cloth of his sleeve and he seemed to be moving them to a more secluded area. Harry took a sip of the remaining half of his beer and fuzzily wondered if his father would mind overmuch if he discovered his son with a hangover the next morning. Bill smiled gently, obviously trying to get Harry to relax in his company. Thanks to the beer, Harry could no longer remember what he was so tense about and moved closer himself, drawn to the heat the older boy was generating in the chilly night air. Bill swallowed, looking somewhat aroused by the haze that had settled over Harry's green eyes, making them more luminous than usual. He smiled up at him and finished off his drink, tossing the paper cup somewhere into the distance, and showing no sign of alarm when Bill leaned in, eye half-lidded. There was a fog over his mind and he could dimly hear some little voice at the back of his head asking what the hell was he doing when he already had somebody so wonderful who loved him to much…but who was it? All he could remember were yellow eyes filled with softness and warmth that was only ever directed at him, but where had he seen eyes like that? His mouth was inches from Harry's when a low growl was heard and someone pushed the redhead away with a broad hand impacting with his chest. "H-hey!" Bill slurred, not quite knowing what was going on due to a peculiar spinning in his head. But his adversary was no longer paying him any attention, focused completely on the petite boy he'd just been chatting up, and was he…was he stroking his hair?

While Bill's brain attempted to implode in upon itself, Asmodeus cupped Harry's face and kissed slowly and sweetly, tasting the cheap alcohol but ignoring it in favor of re-instating himself to a very drunk Harry.

--

The next morning Harry woke with a pounding headache and a dim recollection of red hair, a nasty-tasting but very strong beer, and-his cheeks flamed when he remembered the way his boyfriend had touched him when they were alone in the tent, his guardians out partying with the other adults, completely unaware of the ordeal he had almost suffered. He raised a hand to his neck, feeling the largest of the love bites throb under his fingers. Asmodeus apparently had a possessive streak and his little encounter with the Weasley boy had filled him with the need to reinstate himself as Harry's romantic partner by any mean possible. Not that he was complaining.

"_Asmode, w-what are we doing?" Harry slurred, head spinning from the fast pace his boyfriend was walking, head moving in time to his strides from his position half-slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. When they reached the tent, the Demon swung him around in his arms to situate him properly before laying him on his back on the futon, hovering over him by kneeling on his hands and knees. "Shh…don't talk." He murmured, lowering his head to nuzzle the side of his jaw. It felt nice, and Harry didn't want him to go away, so he kept as quiet as he could when the soft strokes of hair and smooth skin against his neck were replaced with nipping teeth and his boyfriend's noises of pleasure as he made sure to thoroughly mark him as taken, one of the hands sneaking up his side to tilt his head back so he could reach under his jaw and then his chin, the kisses open-mouthed and gentle on his skin as he worked his way over his features, teasing him by refusing to kiss his mouth like he had in front of Bill. _

"_Hngh, please, can I just have one little kiss?" he had whispered, knowing that he was breaking the 'no-talking' rule but considering it worth it when Asmodeus laughed a little and complied, keeping the kiss brief despite its thoroughness. Harry's toes had curled and he hooked his foot around one of his boyfriend's calves, arching up to do some nuzzling of his own in the place where his ribcage connected, the bones jutting against his face as he purred at the familiar scent of his partner. Yellow eyes smiled down at him, flecks of white in them flickering in the dim light of the candle his family had left burning. _

"_I love you, Harry."_

"_I love you too." His head still felt a little funny, but he was sure that he had seen his boyfriend smile a little softer than usual before leaning down to kiss him again. Things had progressed from there, but they had had to stop abruptly when the group returned, Asmodeus helping him straighten his clothes and neaten the bed a little before transforming. Harry pretended to be asleep, but bit the inside of his mouth to keep from crying out when, from under the covers, Asmodeus rubbed his head against a certain unattended part of his anatomy. _

And now he had the nerve to leave him to wake up alone. He scowled and uttered a charm to reduce his headache for a short period of time while he got dressed and freshened up enough to sneak over to Luna's tent to harass Raphael into giving him a Potion for his hangover. Asmodeus was going to be enthusiastically greeted when he got his hands on him, that was for sure.

--

End chapter 54

So…you happy oh Bill fanboy of doom? Keep in mind that Bill's part in this does not make him the bad guy. He didn't know that Harry wasn't single or that it was just the alcohol and not genuine attraction. Alcohol fucks with your brain, kiddies, so if you were wondering, those 'drink responsibly' slogans are there for a reason. And a damn good one as I have found out.

Love you all!


	55. Chapter 55

CHAPTER 55

It was still fairly early in the morning when the rest of his family woke up and began to pack up their belongings into packs and then miniaturized the tent and its furniture. Bronislav stuffed it into his pocket and took a swig of water, still very dehydrated from the large amount of alcohol his brother had watched him inhale, seemingly marveling that humans could do something so destructive and painful the next morning without an ounce of remorse. He finished off the water and patted Harry's head as he walked past him to catch up with Maalik and retrieve another one from his pack.

Harry smiled and shook his head at the clearly hung-over adults half-stumbling around. Thank god for Raphael and his Muggle drugs, or else he'd be doing the same and trying to pass it off as exhaustion. There was still no sign of his wayward boyfriend, and he had a sneaking feeling that he was giving either Bill Weasley or Viktor a piece of his mind, or maybe just kicking Bill somewhere painful. He sniggered at the mental image, grinning at Luna when she gave him a questioning look from her place wrapped around Raphael's shoulders. She had insisted that her feet hurt, but Harry was pretty sure it was just a ploy to be closer to the Angel, not that the tall blond seemed to mind if the fingers he was stealthily using to stroke one of her legs were any indication. Maybe something had happened between them last night? It wasn't any of his business, so he wouldn't ask, but he was pretty sure Luna looked a little more dazed than usual when she'd greeted him that morning, and her lips had been kind of red. Not to mention her rumpled day clothes…a slow smile spread over his face and he caught her eyes, waggling his eyebrows in perfect imitation of James when he'd tried to impress Maalik last week with his various facial muscles.

She grinned and winked conspiratorially, taking a strand of Raphael's hair and twisting it around her fingers a bit before finger-combing it and dividing the strands so she could braid it. The Angel sighed like he was annoyed, and Harry guessed that Luna had something of a hair fetish and had quite possibly done something similar last night.

Exiting the anti-apparatation fields, Vladimir was once again tackled by the over-enthusiastic manager and kissed squarely on the mouth. Harry's eyebrows rose when he remembered that Vladimir hadn't come back to the tent until a an hour before everybody else woke up, and he had passed it off as some Vampire night stalking, but it would appear he hadn't spent the night alone. A hand suddenly covered his eyes when they started to become too affectionate and he mentally bemoaned his father's ignorance of a very important part of his personal life. A part that still hadn't showed up even though they would be port-keying back home any second now, Sirius looking like he was about to throw up as he dug the rat's remains out of his pack and held it aloft for them all to reach. At the last second a white blur came streaking over the hill and towards them, leaping up and squirming into Harry's open pack. James blinked. Harry mouthed the word 'cat' to him and put his hand on the portkey next to his father's.

--

The rest of the summer passed like a blur broken only by events of special notice. Maalik turned 20, receiving a large and somewhat sloppy kiss from James as well as a small wrapped box that turned out to be some kind of 'commitment ring'. Harry hadn't caught the exact terminology, as his reason for being late to the party had been somewhat mind-blowing and he hadn't fully regained control of his limbs. Maybe he should convince his sometimes too enthusiastic boyfriend to back off a little before he went blind permanently from one of those orgasms?

Smiling sweetly at his father and partner, he hugged both of them in silent support of the relationship, hoping deep inside that they would do the same for him when he finally unmasked his lover several years down the road.

His 14th birthday was mostly uneventful except for a close call when his family burst into his room fairly late in the morning, hoping to catch him still asleep and serve him breakfast. He had already showered, hair still somewhat damp, and Asmodeus had been about to pounce him when he'd apparently smelled them coming and had transformed, curling up by his feet and pretending to be asleep. James scowled at the cat briefly, still not comfortable with the bizarre behavior it sometimes portrayed but allowing its presence in his son's life grudgingly, he had smiled brightly at Harry, still looking surprised that he was awake and offered the breakfast. Harry had smiled back, taking the tray and eating as much of it as he could, managing only about half of it and knowing that he was going to have to throw some of it up because of the way his stomach muscles were being stretched. He politely asked if he would be able to eat the rest of it as a snack later, absently tossing a strip of bacon to his pet who had just 'woken up'. Maalik jumped when Raito snapped his head up, jaws wide, to catch the strip of meat and crunch it between his teeth with gusto.

"Well, that was fast." James ventured several seconds later when the Demon was licking his lips with his rough tongue, looking utterly satisfied. Harry fought down his blush and crawled out of bed, playfully kicking the covers over his cat's head and grinning when he play growled and 'attacked', almost taking him down with his sheer weight. "Cheater." Harry whispered, kissing his father on the cheek quickly and exiting the room, Raito on his heels.

"What just happened?" James asked, not quite knowing how to react. Maalik smiled and kissed his other cheek. "I think he likes you." He teased, laughing when James smacked his arm.

--

When summer was over, and the chill had returned to the air, Harry dragged out his trunk and began to organize his belongings and clothing so he wouldn't have to worry about it later. The task of digging out the books he had read over the summer that had been stolen from the library and weren't worth keeping would need to be wiped of his signature and replaced in their spots as soon as possible, and the ones that he was keeping that he hadn't had a chance to read yet were packed and several put aside for the next several days and a big one for the train ride. Asmodeus watched all of this, affection glowing in his eyes and occasionally holding something for him when he ran out of room on his bed for the stacks of clothing he was organizing, and the increasing pile of things that had been re-sized too much or were too thin to offer and real protection from the elements that he was giving to charity.

Later that afternoon he walked past Vladimir, who was the only one home besides himself and Raito, and said he was going for a walk into town and asked if he wanted him to get him anything. The Vampire smiled and shook his head, merely instructing him to be careful, resisting the urge to needlessly fuss over him or offer to go with him as the boy was 14 now and it was time for them to let him fend for himself a little more to build independence and self-sufficiency.

Taking the bag containing the unwanted clothes with him, under a lightening charm that he would remove closer to town, and slipping his feet into his boots, he called out that he was leaving now before setting off. When he passed through the wards and the path led him past the house their conniving neighbor lived, he decided that a quick detour wouldn't do any harm and strode over the lawn, blinking when he noticed a moving truck with two workers who seemed to be unpacking furniture instead of the other way around. Officially curious, he knocked on the front door, doing his best to look innocent and neighborly when a relatively young woman opened the door, wearing a stylish dress he knew to be the latest trend in women's fashion in the Muggle world. He smiled while inwardly groaning about why in god's name did they need young fashionable people living so close by?

"Um, who are you?" The woman asked, her accent giving her away as a Londoner. _'Better and better.' _Were Harry's morbid thoughts but he offered the hand not balancing the bag against his side and said, "I'm Harry, and I believe I am your neighbor. Well, one of them, at least."

"We have neighbors?" The woman seemed to be asking herself, still holding his hand. Raito growled a little and she seemed to come back to herself, withdrawing her hand as if burned. "Oh, um, forgive me; it's just that the realtor said there wasn't anybody living close by, which was very disappointing since I've always liked having neighbors." Her brown eyes looked over his shoulder inquisitively and he turned his head, trying to see what she was looking for.

There were a few indents in the grassy slopes surrounding her house, and then the thick woods that spanned several miles began, the path Harry had been on curving into them and disappearing from sight. Behind her house were a few sporadic clumps of heavy trees planted by farmers decades before to break the wind currents and create landmarks, and then the path joined a narrow road only wide enough for one automobile and a half, and the road wove through some uninhabited and far less foreboding woods that went for about half a mile before the road reached the town, and from there a main one that could take you to more populated areas. Nowhere was there any sign of a house or even a crumbling structure to pass for one.

"Where exactly do you live?" she asked, looking puzzled and tugging at one of her filmy sleeves in what was apparently a nervous habit.

"Oh, my family and I live in this really old house in the woods. My parents inherited it and the woods surrounding it or something, and it is completely paid off so we don't have to pay taxes. It's quite a nice place if you don't mind the damp when it rains." He shrugged, smiling at her to relieve any tension she might be feeling.

"That's lovely. How many are in your family?"

"There's me, my biological father, Maalik, my legal guardian Bronislav, his brother Vladimir, my godfather Sirius, and his brother Regulus."

"Wow, full house, huh?"

"Yes it is. But thank god they are only loud once in a while so I don't really mind living with that many people."

She seemed to realize something and was inwardly debating whether it would be rude to ask or not. Harry sent her a mental probe to urge her to ask, genuinely curious.

"You have a guardian and a father, but no mother?" He should have known, and wondered if he should embellish it, omit some truth, or just give her the facts. Deciding on facts with certain nasty details left out, he replied, "Well, due to some confusion my father was thought to be dead, but he was actually in this hospital under a coma, while I was sent to an orphanage since my mother died in the accident that we thought took my father's life. I was then adopted, and several years ago my dad came out of his coma and started looking for me. When we found each other, we all decided not to go through a bunch of bothersome paperwork since he and my guardian get along and we are all happy to live together like we do. Who are you here with?"

"My husband and our son will be around for a weeks in the summer when he isn't at school or summer camp." She had just noticed his burden and asked what it was. He blinked and explained that it was for the resale shop in town, and if she had anything she wanted him to drop off for her. She had an old oil lamp, but refused to let him walk there, disappearing inside briefly and re-appearing in a cardigan and pumps to drive them in her automobile. When they arrived he whispered the counter charm and lugged the bag out of the car until they came to the shabby store-front and entered. She proceeded to the front counter and handed over the lamp, making friends with the tired-looking old lady running it while she was at it, and Louise looked more awake than Harry had ever seen her when he proceeded up and gave her a brief run-through of what was in the bag, and asking if she needed any help around the store for the next couple hours since he didn't have anything else to do. She shook her head and said that she didn't get much business during the afternoon around this time of year. He nodded, telling her to greet her granddaughters for him. They were ages 4 and 7, and he played with them sometimes during the summer when he really wanted to leave the house and Bronislav was grocery shopping.

His new neighbor, named Annette Bassington, drove him home and he promised to come have tea tomorrow if it wasn't raining because he would be leaving for school at the end of the week.

--

End chapter 55

Hope you liked.


	56. Chapter 56

A/N: There is a point to this one, I swear! Somebody signed an anonymous review for 'Of Demons' with 'KAZ', and so I just wanted to thank you for your affection so you'll see this when you reach this point in the story. Oh, and the opening title of the movie 'Juno' is the one and only exception to my 'hate country music' policy.

CHAPTER 56

Tea with Annette had been by turns awkward and pleasant, as her husband had returned from work half-way through and started when he'd seen Harry on the Chesterfield sofa. Apparently he hadn't been as open to the idea of neighbors as his wife, but had seemed to relax when Harry explained that they lived very far into the woods and had met his wife entirely by chance while taking a very long walk to town. The Muggle man's reaction had sparked some suspicion when he had looked entirely too nervous about people living close enough to see what he was up to. Harry smiled when his explanation was accepted, sipping his tea and mentally evaluating the man's chances in a fair fight, and his own in an unfair one in case the man snapped like he had thought he would in the first five minutes.

He winked at Annette, and could have sworn she went a bit red, which was curious. He lowered his eyes, knowing that sometimes they could portray the nature of his thoughts, and he could tell that Mr. Bassington was paying him a lot more attention than was immediately perceivable.

"So…your son is in school?" Harry asked innocently, remembering that tidbit from yesterday.

"Oh, technically not at the moment but most of the year he is. Right now he is in football camp, and he is getting quite good, which is good because sending him away wasn't cheap." If he hadn't been looking for it, he would have missed the brief look of bitterness she sent her husband. Apparently whatever he was up to needed to be hidden from their son, if he was around so rarely. He picked at his last remaining cuticle, a little bit of blood pooling around the outline of his nail and almost spilling on the sofa before he picked up his tea, finger sneakily held over it so the brown liquid gained a faint reddish hue. He drank the rest of it in one gulp, savoring the tang of iron that the blood provided. His own blood wasn't nearly as good as Asmodeus', which had a smoky feel, like salted pork compared to smoked venison. His boyfriend liked to bite, as he had discovered last week in one of their little encounters that had been getting increasingly frequent the past 2 months, and convinced Harry to bite back. Sometimes it made him feel almost vampiric, but he didn't crave blood or feel any kind of heat sensitivity, and there was no recorded instance of a Demon turning a Human into a Vampire. Although…his thoughts trailed off when he remembered that the definition of a Vampire was half-Ghost, half-Demon.

He poured himself some more tea.

--

At the crowded train station the next morning in a daze that wasn't even half-awake, Harry nodded sleepily to everyone in his bizarre family, and Maggie as well since she had decided to do one of her little magical appearing acts and drape herself around Bronislav while eating a chocolate bar. Harry did his best to look friendly and remember where he was. He hadn't slept at all last night, making a little trip to London and managing to infiltrate the records system using a computer in a public library that had been closed at the time, but the cameras weren't going to pick up an invisible boy working on a computer carefully positioned to have the monitor itself facing the wall without cameras.

There had been no record of the Mr. Bassington he had met that afternoon, and according to the information on the screen, Annette had been widowed for the past 4 years and was currently residing in a Sanitarium temporarily until she regained her sanity while her son, Daniel, stayed with her sister Doreen.

Needless to say, his curiosity was fully raised, but his eyelids lowered dangerously, and he heard the librarians moving in, saying goodbye to the night guard and opening up the blinds. A glance at the clock on the screen revealed that it was 6 in the morning, and if he didn't get home soon there would be a lot of uncomfortable questions.

In the present, he had stumbled on the train and wandered along the compartments, receiving smiles and frowns in equal measure until he came across Draco and the majority of the Slytherins in his year, somehow having expanded the compartment and fit in several members of other houses he wasn't familiar with. Well, the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were familiar, but they were the only ones. He slid into the seat Draco made for him by scooting to the side, and conked out, head lolling to fall on the blonde's shoulder which he snuggled further into and sighed happily. Draco blinked, raised his hands in confusion to the rest of their friends who were wondering what the hell had worn Harry out like that.

He woke up 4 hours later with a horrible crick in his neck and Draco's raised eyebrows as greeting. He mumbled an apology and smoothed his friend's robe sleeve, reaching into his book bag for the sizable volume he'd packed for the trip, hissing when Raito nipped at his fingers in annoyance for having left him cooped up in the bag all by his lonesome for so long. He apologized by lifting him out and setting him on the floor where he could wander wherever he liked to stretch his legs. Making a quick round of the compartment, Raito returned to him and curled around his leg not curled up and under himself while he read '_Notable Poltergeists and Their Heinous Acts Against Humankind: How to Protect Yourself and Other Useful Survival Tactics Against Supernatural Mischief-Makers' _by Nathaniel Neinderlund. The title was overlong, but the book was rather large, and if it had had a smaller title it wouldn't have caught Harry's eye in the first place while shopping in Diagon Alley early that summer.

Hours later when the train coasted to what should have been a graceful stop but only ended in a horrific lurch powerful enough to jumble his brain fluids, making Harry groan and clutch his forehead tightly since he was dehydrated (he had spent his snack money on a book in one of the bargain bins at the Muggle library. It was by some guy named Freud).

Shuffling off the train, he started when Luna came out of nowhere and wrapped her arms around his neck, planting a messy kiss on his cheek and sneaking a book he had sent to her by mail that needed to be replaced in the library into his book bag. Raito growled playfully and she picked him up, kissing the top of his head and cuddling him to her chest as they waded through the crowd to get to the carriages first and thereby have more time for Luna to create a distraction and Harry to sneak off and deal with the books.

--

End chapter 56

Holy crap, this fic is getting bigger and bigger. Soon it will be in the 60s! (freaks out)


	57. Chapter 57

CHAPTER 57

Slipping into the Great Hall when the Sorting was almost done, he managed to sit at the Slytherin without anybody worrisome noticing. Except that damned DADA teacher who was apparently breaking the curse by returning a second year. The skittish man scowled at Harry and he grinned back, taking a sip from the bottle of concealed French wine in his bag. It was imitation champagne, and would have been so too if it had been made just two provinces over.

Albus had been wondering where the Potter boy had gone, and had been trying to search the Castle with his mind, and had been getting increasingly frustrated when she refused to give him any information, and opened his eyes in defeat. The Potter boy was sitting right where he was supposed to be and seemed to be having some kind of unspoken power play with his now-secondary DADA teacher. Hiring Alastor had raised a lot of eyebrows and incurred Minerva's wrath, and since he hadn't really been listening he wasn't quite sure what she had said, but he was pretty sure it had something to do with 'violent people shouldn't be around children'. Sure, Alastor hadn't been all there since the first war with Voldemort, but that didn't make him any less of a safety measure against the various ex-death eaters and possible future death eaters that would be joining them from Durmstrang. Since the Sorting had finished and Minerva was glaring at him from her place next to the stool, he stood up, which was her cue to put the things away until next year's batch of unpromising brats came stumbling through the door.

He said the usual this and that, keeping it short since he had never really liked talking to children any longer than absolutely necessary and he still had the bomb to drop on them. "Children, this year is not going to be just any year." Murmurs arose at every table but the Slytherin one, since they were all too busy watching Blaise and Draco duke it out over the last cookie that Daphne had brought to hold them over until the food appeared. Neither of them seemed to realize that Vincent had torn himself away from the last bit of his remaining summer homework and filched it from under their noses, and nobody was going to end their entertainment of the evening for the sake of honesty.

"Hogwarts has been selected to host the most dangerous and until recently illegal Triwizard Tournament!" the word 'illegal' caught the attention of the green table and, as one, they all fixated their attention on the now unnerved Headmaster. "Two schools will be staying with us and, while they will be educated by their own teachers, they are also free to sit on any of your classes. I am sure that you all understand the proper codes of decorum to present so they know that this is not a building populated by uneducated fools." There was absolute silence after his little slip-up and he whispered 'obliviate' before continuing. "That said, enjoy the feast!" the food appeared and he went back to his seat between Severus, who was glaring at an offending arm from Hagrid that was invading his space and Minerva, who immediately sunk her claws into his wrist when he sat down and gritted through her teeth about just what she was going to do to his hamstrings. He began to feel very unsafe.

--

The next morning dawned wet but warm, not unlike the Rainforests of South America, which created a clothing dilemma. The boys eventually settled on conjuring umbrellas and skipping robes in favor of shirts and ties. They could only hope that a teacher wouldn't notice and decide to enforce the cumbersome and shapeless black robes as they shuffled down stairs to try at eat some food before heading to Potions with the goddamned Gryffindors. Harry was of the opinion that seeing so many bright colors that early in the morning was child abuse, and could only imagine how hard it would be to be a Hufflepuff and be surrounded by yellow every moment you were in your dorm or common room. Ravenclaw would be nice, since blue was soothing and helped you think, so if he was ever forced to choose a house other than his own, it would be Ravenclaw. Thinking about Ravenclaw house made him think of Luna, and he looked around the Great Hall, trying to spot her blond waves somewhere in the sea of brown heads. Both she and Ginny were missing.

He was worried for a moment, and then shrugged it off when he remembered the hidden fury of the Ravenclaw and very apparent temper of Ginerva. They would be just fine by themselves, he concluded and took a sip of his pumpkin juice and stroked Raito's fur while he curled against his side as a barrier between him and Pansy, not that she noticed as Draco was on her other side.

--

Classes flowed by smoothly for the next couple of weeks, anticipation growing in the student body as the date of the arrival of the foreign schools drew ever closer. On the day itself, classes were cancelled and almost the entire student body waited in the front atrium and along the halls with windows to get the first glimpse of the foreigners. Harry pushed his way between an arguing Marcus Flint and Oliver Wood without them noticing, Luna following with her hand tightly holding onto his so they wouldn't get separated. Several older and braver Hufflepuff girls cooed at them and said something like 'puppy love', which made them both start snickering to themselves as they remembered their current love interests. With their improved view, and much degraded background noise (how people could argue so passionately about a sport so puerile was beyond Harry, and he displayed his distaste with several significant looks sent to the older students. Wood looked slightly abashed before seeming to remember that it was a 3rd year giving him the 'evil eye' and going back to trying to pick holes in Flint's attack tactics at last year's game. Slytherin had won again, and the Gryffindor didn't seem too happy about quidditch being cancelled that year because it meant he wouldn't be able to prove the Slytherin team's various comments about them being a pack of nancy boys who couldn't tell the difference between a quaffle and a bludger. Harry rolled his eyes, nibbling on the chocolate a blushing and stammering Cho Chang had thrust into his arms last week directly after care of magical creatures class, which they had with the ravenclaws this year.

Sure, the reason for the unexpected gift might have caused his boyfriend to make various threatening noises, but a few tactful maneuvers on his part involving the chocolate and placement of his hands had ensured that the Chang girl wouldn't wake up one morning and discover that she had been sawed into multiple pieces in her sleep.

The lake swelled suddenly, and the top of a mast, complete with the Russian flag, rose up out of it without any conceivable source of entrance, and was followed by the rest of an imposing ship covered in seaweed. The boarding plank was lowered onto the rocky shore and a long line of older male students wearing the scarlet robes of Durmstrang filed off, followed by a tall man wearing white fur and a terrified look in his eyes. Viktor Krum was at his side, glaring at any of the students who dared to so much as look like they were about to ask for an autograph. Behind them trailed two boys who made Satan in a rage look lamblike. They shot Harry appreciative looks as they sauntered past, which made him blush, still not used to getting looks like that from people other than Asmodeus when he was feeling...romantic.

The Beauxbatons students arrived in a giant flying blue carriage pulled by white aerodacytals. They stepped out with a strange grace, boys and girls dressed in pale blue and looking like they owned the place. Harry noticed the faint traces of spells designed to make people look more attractive and smirked when he noticed the star-struck looks in the male Hogwarts students. \

This tournament was looking to be a bit more interesting than he had assumed, and to top it all off an assistant teacher would be teaching them DADA. He was reportedly a retired Auror who had gained himself quite a fearsome reputation in the war against Voldemort.

--

End chapter 57

…you know what you're supposed to be doing (sends significant look at 'review' button)


	58. Chapter 58

CHAPTER 58

While the foreign students were receiving tours from the professors after having been split into separate groups, Harry got bored with the whole thing and began reading something by Sigmund Freud, curling into a sitting position in a warm corner next to one of the heating vents. His hair was being blown into his eyes, but it was a cold day and he was happy for the heat that the rusty system provided, since they didn't do much for the entire castle. He stroked the floor with one hand and turned the pages of the book propped against his knees with the other, smiling at his 'pet' when he padded over and curled up by his side in his robes and raised his own body temperature.

Seeing two sets of boots with the pant legs of the red uniform of Durmstrang enter his field of vision, he politely lowered his book and smiled a them while asking in Russian, "Can I help you? Are you lost?" they were the twins who had leered at him earlier, so he quietly whispered a spell that would repel them if they began to make him feel uncomfortable, feeling a lot more secure with it there to protect him. They looked at each other with raised eyebrows, having seen the spell being activated.

"No, we are not lost. We heard about you from our cousin Draco and wanted to see if you really were as impressive as he said at mastering obscure magic. If you are…we just might have a little job for you." The one who had spoken waggled his eyebrows while his double smirked, leaning all of his weight on one leg, which emphasized how much taller he was than the 14 year old. Harry raised his dark eyebrows in a perfect arch that asked a million questions, but first and foremost 'what do I get out of this?'

"What would you like to see?" He asked, dropping the cute act and giving them a hard look which got across the message that he wasn't their lackey, so don't get any ideas. He snapped his book closed and tucked it elegantly into his book bag, scooping up Raito and standing to meet their gazes straight on.

"At the moment it is a rumor amongst your classmates, but I think it might have some merit from what we've seen from you so far."

"There are a lot of rumors about me. Which one has caught your fancy?" They looked around the nearly-empty hallway, ensuring that nobody would hear them whisper, "Bilocation."

"What about it?" Harry asked evasively, slumping his shoulders and raising the hood of his robes. For all he knew, the twins were Aurors or the Headmaster in disguise and he wasn't taking any chances. They appeared to be getting impatient with him.

"Can you do it or not?"

"Maybe; depends on the situation. If you want a demonstration, come to this hallway at 4 in the morning tomorrow, okay?"

They blinked at him and shrugged at the same time. "Alright, see you then, Potter!" They waved and strutted down the hallway to presumably go harass their headmaster into sprouting some new gray hairs. Harry grinned viciously at their departing backs, having every intention of showing them just how unrestricted his access to the magical consciousness was.

In his office far above the chaos and crowded halls of his Castle the Headmaster shivered violently in his chair despite the roaring fires. Usually a feeling like this signified one of Minerva's explosive rampages, or one of Fudge's stickier problems that he couldn't handle on his own. But this felt different…it felt more serious, somehow, and he was reminded of just who would be arriving that evening to help teach Defense Against the Dark Arts and the sort of ground he had left on in regards to one Igor Karkaroff. Not to mention the strange patterns in the magical fields surrounding the Potter boy and, curiously enough, his cat.

The whole situation warranted investigation, and he was determined to finish his paperwork so he could keep a closer eye on the boy. Maybe he should get a secretary.

--

That night before the food appeared, he stood and announced that students seventeen and older were allowed to enter their names into the Goblet of Fire which would select a student from each school that it deemed qualified to withstand the 3 Tasks. He also revealed, for the sake of terrifying any underage idiots out of entering their names, why the tournament had been made illegal in the first place.

When the mutterings about his state of sanity had died down, he informed them the location of the Goblet should they wish to enter, and the time slot they had to decide. He also disabused them of any thoughts of violating the age requirement, signaled for the food to appear, and seated himself between Severus, who was reading while holding a book on his lap and out of sight of the students ("How to Terrify Children Without Getting Fired", he believed, had been the title of the volume). Minerva was filing her nails to sharp points and humming some classical Muggle piece and ignoring Professor Sprout who was chattering about some new plants she'd been given by Charlie Weasley and his older brother, the one who's name she could never remember.

Harry took a little bite out of his steak, smiling at Viktor who was sitting across him and already finished with his third. When he pushed his plate away and ate some mint-flavored ice cream, he spoke up in English, "You don't eat very much, do you?"

"Not really. I guess I don't get hungry as often as other people." Viktor nodded, taking a sip of his water thoughtfully. Draco was on one side of him with Pansy next to the blonde and fussing over a nasty cute he had on his fingers from a pissed Gryffindor earlier who didn't take kindly to their house. On Viktor's other side was Millicent, and she was frantically scribbling down the second draft for her paper on whether or not the term 'purgatory' stemmed from the existence of ghosts in different dimensions. It was getting quite lengthy and she had already asked Harry a million questions about various menial facts of Wizarding and Muggle experiences with ghosts and alternate dimensions, and each time he had answered the eyes of the foreign students sitting with them and within hearing range had widened. The table had been enlarged, and even now they had little elbow room and most of the older girls were sitting on their boyfriends to conserve space (and have an excuse for PDA, of course). Luna and Ginny were on Harry's left and playing a quiet game of war with cards, and Ginny had been winning straight for the past 4 games, but the Ravenclaw didn't seem to mind, absently chewing on one of the feathers fastened to the end of her braid. It was bright purple and made her lips look very red against it, drawing the attention of Marcus Flint farther up the table.

The French girl sitting on Harry's other side reached over him for the jelly tarts and whispered in his ear, "Could you help me with something on the topic of Ouroburos?"

"Yes." He whispered back, mentally adding her to the list of foreigners who had apparently heard of him through word of mouth. He had quite the reputation, it would seem, and he was now the unwilling leader of 16 study groups.

--

End chapter 58

….i love the world! (spreads arms wide)


	59. Chapter 59

A/N: LPFanRockChick, I hope your email service shapes up and I miss talking to you! (hugs)

CHAPTER 59

The first students were getting their things together to go back to their dorms after eating, but were startled back into their seats when the doors banged open with enough force to warrant Harry's attention. Lightning lanced through the sky above their heads, creating interesting lighting for the entrance of a haggard and soaked older man with one of those movement-sensitive magical eyes with a bright blue iris that was swirling around in it's socket, taking in every detail of the Great Hall and fixating on him for five whole seconds before moving on to Dumbledore as he swept his way up the stairs of the dais that the teacher's table rested on. "Evening, Albus." He barked, making it sound more like an order than a pleasantry, nodding curtly to the bearded headmaster.

"Alastor, thank you for being so punctual." There was an edge of sarcasm in his voice that went over the heads of most of the students, all of whom were avidly watching the bizarre older man, and various awed whispers of 'mad-eye Moody' were circulating the hall as fast as the man's eye. Harry smirked at him, catching him in the act of eyeing him again and raising his eyebrows while tilting his head slightly to the side. Viktor followed his gaze and glared at the older man, feeling suddenly possessive of the diminutive student who had befriended him when he most needed it that summer.

Breaking his gaze with the man who had been announced as their part-time DADA Professor who would be assisting their current one since the amount of students had increased dramatically, Harry took a bite of the pudding which Luna had recommended and decided that he liked it very much, sighing around his spoon and having a second helping. Draco mocked shock at this uncharacteristic action and leaned over the table to stage whisper, "I didn't know you ate anything at all!" while giving him a wide-eyed stare. Harry rolled his eyes at him and finished off his pudding before shouldering his bag that had been under the bench so it wouldn't take up as much room on the bench as he normally would have done, and smiled to his new foreign friends, politely saying that he'd be in the library in case any of them wanted anything from him.

Viktor stood and said he would join him, and was followed by Draco, Pansy (since they had started dating last week she had practically attached herself to his hips. Not that Harry would have done any different if he had been available since they were rather nice hips at that and had a tendency to jut out in a very appealing way from what he'd seen) , and Daphne. The blond girl was engrossed in a romance novel Ted's mother had given her while she had stayed with them over the summer, but she managed to raise her eyes and send Harry a brilliant smile and hook her arm through his as they strolled at a pleasant pace to their favorite hang-out.

Their table was unoccupied, so they spread themselves out over it and Harry left for a few minutes to shuffle through the shelves and find some reading material that, should it mysteriously disappear, be inconvenient to the Headmaster. And speaking of the Headmaster, he had tried to set another observatory probe on him that morning, but he had channeled his sexual frustration into it and hooked it up to whoever was thinking about sex at that moment, and it was now hopping from student to student, recording the various thoughts and actions of students other than himself and his friends. It was just as well too, since a few seconds after that his boyfriend had pinned him to the closest wall and tried to ensure that he was never able to think straight again, and was making great progress towards that goal when the amplified voice of McGonagall had announced that the other schools would be arriving soon. Harry had used the distraction to slip away, laughing when Asmodeus gave chase, having to transform back into a cat when other students ventured into the halls.

And speaking of Asmodeus, where was he? Harry checked his bag while his feet navigated him to the Restricted Section, wondering where he could have gotten to. His question was answered when he entered one of the back shelves of the carpeted section of the restricted shelves and saw him sitting in the middle of the floor, obviously waiting for him. He sank to his knees and crawled over to his lap, settling himself in it and rubbing their noses together while smiling so wide his face was starting to hurt. Asmodeus smiled as well and leaned in to kiss him far softer than he had earlier, mouth rubbing against his smoothly and warm arms wrapping around his waist and shoulders to keep him close. He sighed and inhaled the smoky smell, letting it fill his lungs and disregarding any nagging thoughts about what the smoke could be doing to his internal organs without his knowledge and focusing on getting a good snog before one of his friends came looking for him.

Things were just getting interesting, and by interesting I mean Harry was flat on his back with his shirt half-undone and a very enthusiastic Demon doing some things inappropriate for children to witness with his tongue, when Harry heard his name being called and heard footsteps coming closer. Panicking, he buttoned up his shirt while Asmodeus smoothed down his hair for him, snatching one last kiss before turning back into Raito and leaping up onto Harry's shoulder. He managed to grab a random book and look really interested in what it was, and pretended to be surprised when Daphne rounded the corner, looking concerned until her eyes landed on him and she grinned.

"Nice book, Harry." She smirked and sauntered closer. "You've been gone for half an hour and we were starting to get worried. Should have known you would have found a way to amuse yourself in a more…private setting." Her manner was confusing Harry until she poked a freshly-formed hickey on his neck that had escaped his notice until now.

His cheeks flamed.

--

It was 3 in the morning and Harry was calmly seated in the hallway he had specified to the twins, an hour early to familiarize himself with the nooks and crannies of the passage and the way _She _navigated it. Or at least he was trying to be calm, but that was somewhat difficult with the Demon of Lust himself on his knees next to you, doing his damnedest to explore every curvature of your neck. He restrained a whimper and did his best to sit still, because if he were to respond, they wouldn't ever be able to stop before the twins arrived, and Harry knew Asmodeus wasn't immediately visible to other Humans, so it would look like he was rolling around on the floor by himself. This would raise some awkward questions he really didn't want to answer at this point of his life, no matter how they were worded or how evasive he could make his answers.

Brown hair obscured his smirk right before he bit down on the certain nerve base behind Harry's ear, and watched his boyfriend jerk, clench his fists, and give up on restraining himself by pushing him back so he was sitting on his calves and straddling his lap, licking his lips and flushing when Asmodeus' eyes followed the movement and laughed a bit, threading his fingers through his hair and lowering his head to kiss his cheek until the teen became impatient and tugged at his neck, trying to lower it to his mouth without success. It would seem that the demon was in the mood to tease him, judging by the tell-tale curve of his lips and sparkle in his eyes. Harry did his best to glare but failed as he could never be truly angry with the Demon, no matter how flustered and neglected he was feeling at moment.

A lone hand sneaked around to his back, tugging at the fabric of his shirt where it was tucked into his trousers and running his palm along the skin along his lower back, admiring its smoothness broken only by a small bruise from a nasty fall he'd taken down the stairs back at home last month. It had covered his entire lower back in a band of purple and blue that Asmodeus had crooned over and offered to heal by magic every time he saw it (mainly when he was being perverted and intruding on Harry's baths, which he pretended to be irritated about). The tips of his fingers gently stroked the skin and he conceded to the boy's wishes and pressed his lips to his in a surprisingly chaste kiss, cupping the back of his head so he wouldn't strain his neck when he put more force behind the kiss and parted his lips to gently suckle on Harry's upper one. He moaned a bit and clenched a fist into Asmodeus' shirt-front and tilted his head to allow better access and more contact with the hands holding his head and the one on his lower back that had started to rub slow circles just over the top of his belt.

He began to feel sleepy from the attention to his most sensitive spots, and when their lips parted with a soft _smack_ noise and kisses his forehead gently. Harry sagged against him, boneless but happy in his arms. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was 5 till 4 and sighed resignedly. He didn't feel up to some elaborate display anymore, and mentally changed his plans into one featuring only a basic demonstration before excusing himself to go to bed.

Crawling off of the comfortable and warm lap that was not helping him stay awake, he was just in time because the Lestrange twins (as Draco had kindly informed him in the library) rounded the corner and strode over to him. He pretended to be nonchalant and stood, gesturing for them to move slightly to the side. Concentrating for a second and uttering the incantation in his mind, his double appeared at his side. Before they could ask any questions, he made the copy disappear and made a new one halfway down the hall, one sitting on the rafters of the ceiling, and one just behind where they were standing. All of them were doing separate things and looking like the fully-functioning humans they were representing. Harry looked at the twins and raised an eyebrow and silently gestured to the lone copy picking at his nails at his side. They nodded and the more aggressive of the two said, "That was far more impressive than we had thought it would be. We've heard that the copy is usually stiff and somewhat like a Muggle automaton. You've proved that theory wrong, and answered multiple questions without opening your mouth."

"We just have some concerns. How long can you hold one? Is the draw of magic great? And are there any repercussions on your psyche when you re-absorb one?"

"Well, I once held one for an entire month so I could spend the summer with my family and friend at the same time, but the headache it gave me when I re-absorbed it was very painful and exhausted me to the point of sleeping for an entire day."

They blinked at him. "Sleeping for a day isn't extreme, you know." Harry shrugged. "It is for me. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get some sleep if I am going to be able to walk in a straight line to my classes."

"Leaving us so soon?" One of the twins looked like he was disappointed, but his eyes were gleaming with amusement in the dim light of the early morning shining through the windows.

"Yes." Was all Harry said before sauntering down the hall to the dungeons, leaving two twins very unused to such confidence around them staring at his retreating back.

--

End chapter 59

Tell me if you liked! (SHAMELESS ADVERTISING) Oh, and check out Ariaeris' fic 'Harry's Chosen One' if you haven't already.


	60. Chapter 60

A/N: OMG! Already?!

CHAPTER 60

The weeks flew by in a flurry of boring classes, lectures on useless information, and being swarmed by students wanting study groups or tutoring. Maybe the word getting out about his intelligence and willingness to help wasn't the best idea, since he now had to hide from Madam Pince in the library due to his rambunctious groups of followers. The older woman had taken to showing up out of nowhere behind him and thwacking the back of his head with a rather large dictionary, and her only verbal response to his enraged "What gives?!" had been "I'm sure you've just been doing something unholy within these sacred walls."

In a few hours the Goblet of Fire would be brought out and the names of the Champions displayed preceding dinner, so Harry was sitting on the floor of the room that the Goblet had been set up in, observing the panicked last contestants rush in a deposit their names in the flames, obviously nervous but having adopted a 'do or die' mentality for the whole thing. It was very amusing, like free live theater, and Harry hopefully looked up when he heard footsteps entering, marking his spot in Freud's 'Interpretation of Dreams'. It was Fleur Delacour, the famed quarter-Veela who showed so much 'promise' according to what he had overheard her Headmistress confiding to Karkaroff, who had been lauding Viktor. He snickered when he remembered the pinched look on his friend's face while his headmaster had rambled about his grades and abilities at the teacher's table loud enough for their table to hear, inducing yet more awed looks from the still star-struck students. Harry had resolved that fame really wasn't everything, and so help him, were he to become famous he would either commit suicide again or become some kind of modern-day hermit.

She looked at him coolly and he nodded in acknowledgment. This seemed to please her since she crossed the room and seated herself gracefully on the bench beside him, politely asking in broken English, "Vat iz you reading?"

"Freud." Harry replied, holding up the cover of the book for her to see.

"Does you like Divination?"

"Oh, this isn't divination. It's Muggle psychology, the Humanistic kind too."

"Are you Muggleborn?" She looked honestly interested, and several boys who had come in to obviously show off their 'bravery' by joining the competition glared at him on their way out, switching to smiles when Fleur looked at them curiously. Harry shook his head and replied, "My dad is pureblood and my mom was a Muggleborn, so I guess that makes me kind of pureblood. I'm not really that particular about the whole business. What matters is that I turned out a Wizard, and my family accepts that."

"I have heard a lot about you from people around the school. Is it true that you can fly?"

Harry stared at her, and then started laughing. Wiping away the tears at the corners of his eyes, he replied, "Hell no. I can't do that kind of stuff just yet. I know there are ways to get magic to let you…um…float, I guess, for lack of a better word, but what use would that be in combat or everyday life when you could just levitate yourself instead? It uses a lot less magic that way, since it is basic magic and your chakras are accustomed to that and would therefore generate power more easily than if you were to delve into a dusty corner of your magical signature for the sake of pulling out some ancient and obsolete skill."

She nodded. "Zat makes sense, but self-levitation is still difficult. I can barely manage a few inches, and it gives me headaches."

"Headaches? Really?"

"Yes, and it is very frustrating because something so simple should not be so hard." She looked so despondent that Harry found himself saying, "I could teach you a few tricks if you want."

Her eyes lit up and she looked at him in a new way. "Could you?" Harry had the sudden feeling that he had been manipulated, but couldn't bring himself to care. It wasn't like he wasn't doing the same for over 50 of her schoolmates, although on different topics. Hearing the school clock system ring out the dinner hour, he got up and shoved his book into his bag, smiling at her and saying that he didn't want t miss the name picking.

"Can, can I sit with you?" She asked, sounding strangely timid for a girl of her caliber and disposition. He smiled and nodded, gesturing to the open door, and she stood, brushing past him to get out into the hall where the caretaker and a man Harry recognized as Barty Crouch Sr. from the papers. He smiled at the politician as sweetly as he was able without gagging on the strong smell of cologne that surrounded him. Somebody hadn't had time to shower…

--

They choose their seats between Draco and Edmund (the Hufflepuff had lost his House 20 points earlier in Potions and they were kind of pissed at him), Harry smiling at the artist sitting next to him genuinely, trying to apologize with his eyes for having blown him off earlier because one of the Durmstrang boys needed some help. He smiled back and brushed his fingers against his knee under the table, sighing when Harry didn't protest or move his leg away. He kept his hand on his knee, rubbing his thumb against it every now and then and staring up at the place where the Goblet had been set up, Dumbledore and the other Heads standing beside it as well as some judges.

"Students and guests, the Goblet will now proclaim the champions!" Albus announced, raising his arms outward in a god-like gesture and wandlessly making them quiet down and pay attention via Legilimency. Harry smirked when he felt the mental probe, but allowed it to pass through his system so as not to raise suspicion. He _did _weed out the little prickly bit of forced respect, though, and made sure it was out of his friend's minds as well, thus missing the majority of the Headmaster's speech about trials and accidents and just who would be judging.

He was startled out of removing it from Millicent's mind when the Goblet suddenly flared up with red flames instead of the usual blue, a scrap of parchment charred around the edges floating out and into the headmaster's hand. The ink was red and it spelled out 'Viktor Krum' in plain block letters. He raised the paper aloft and announced that he was the Champion of Durmstrang, and Igor got a particularly smug look on his face that was wiped off very quickly when he saw that the Twins From Hell were sitting next to his prized student when he rose to walk through the door leading to a teacher's lounge behind the Great Hall. There was much applause, everyone agreeing that the young man deserved the rank and no one grudging him it.

The flames rose again, and a blue slip of scented paper came floating out and landed in Albus' fingers. In almost illegible due to curlicues cursive was the name 'Fleur Delacour'. After squinting at it and tilting it in the light a little to get a better angle, he deduced the name and announced her name, amongst squeals and much clapping from her schoolmates, all of whom seemed happy that she had been chosen to represent their school. Harry grinned at her and shook her hand in congratulations, which seemed to please her as she stood and walked past the officials, stopping to curtsy before entering the room. The last slip came out, on plain lined paper, and it was Cedric Diggory, of Hufflepuff house. He was very surprised to hear his name called, but quickly started grinning and nodding to his friends while they congratulated him, finally managing to tear himself away from them and shaking Dumbledore's hand before opening the door and entering the room. Albus clapped his hands to regain the attention of the young people and said in a clear voice, "Now that the 3 champions have been chosen, I would like you to all remember that there will be no betting on the winner allowed amongst the students, as this is a serious matter. And-"

He was cut off by the flames rising up in a violent shade of bright purple tinged with red at the edges, a lone bit of blackened paper with the words, "Harry Potter!!" Dumbledore shouted, pretending to be enraged while inwardly rejoicing. Maybe the boy would be killed in the tournament, or at least ostracized by his ridiculously loyal friends for 'cheating'.

The Potter boy raised his head from where he had been leaning on Edmund and blinked at him. The Great Hall was dead silent.

--

End chapter 60

I know Fleur's 'accent' sucked, but we all have our limitations.


	61. Chapter 61

A/N: (cries) Rokkis, are you okay?

CHAPTER 61

"_What the hell?!" _Somebody screeched, Harry wasn't sure who, but it broke the stunned silence and soon the students who didn't know him very well or hadn't met him were glaring daggers. Harry met their gazes straight on, face emotionless while his thoughts went a mile a minute, going over possible means of his name entering the Goblet of its own accord, and then suspects who could be setting him up for direct danger to his existence and estrange him from his support network. Several likely subjects came to mind, and he subconsciously raised his hand to chew on his nails, eyes flicking about the room. His reverie was broken by Dumbledore clearing his throat and saying, "Mr. Potter, if you would please join the champions in the room behind us, the rest of you can eat while we deal with the situation." The food appeared, and Harry smiled at his friends distantly before rising and walking down the length of the Great Hall until he reached the door, smiling at his friends along the way, and simply choosing not to see the confusion and anger in the faces of students he was not familiar with.

Entering the room, the judges and various officials on his heels, he suppressed a cringe when the Headmasters of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons immediately began to denounce Hogwarts rights to a second champion, and that he should be removed. Much confusion and some near fist-fights later, Barty Crouch Sr. spoke up and stated that any name coming from the Goblet, of age or not, legal or not, the person to whom that name belonged had no choice but to participate in the tournament, and no other names could be drawn forth or re-entered to even the chances of competition.

Harry sighed and muttered something unfriendly under his breath when his fears were confirmed, drawing raised eyebrows from Viktor, who had overheard some curse words he hadn't even known existed. Harry sent him a world-weary look and leaned his head against the older boy's side, suddenly exhausted. It could be that the all-nighter he had pulled last night because of a combination of due homework and a boyfriend who had been feeling neglected was finally beginning to wear on him, but he didn't think he would be able to keep on smiling with any real feeling behind it if he were to become sexually frustrated on top of everything, or start getting less than perfect grades (the look on his father's face at the sight of his old report cards had been too priceless to not experience next year). Viktor wrapped a protective arm high on his thin shoulders, glowering at his spluttering Headmaster defiantly and giving the Slytherin's shoulder a squeeze for emphasis. Cedric had moved to his other side and nervously met Dumbledore's eyes in a silent display of his opinion of whether or not they should find some way to kick the boy out of the competition, and Fleur shrugged gracefully at the assembled adults, flicking her long hair over her shoulder. Madam Maxine's face went very red and she pursed her lips but remained silent.

"So it is decided then?" Harry mumbled, removing his face from the soft fur of Viktor's cloak to look at them blearily, really wishing that he hadn't spiked his pumpkin juice with rum.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, it has. But I would like you to remember that there was a reason for the age block, and any injuries, or your death, are no one's fault but your own. Your guardians will be contacted, and I will have an extra waver made up for you by the Ministry."

"Alright." Harry agreed, nodding and examining his new hang-nail, outwardly unconcerned with his possible early demise while inwardly going over all the methods he could use to divine the First Task and prepare himself and the other champions for it, as he had no intention of winning but a very strong desire to come out of it alive, preferably with as little damage to himself and the others as possible.

"The, ah, wand weighing ceremony will be taking place this Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. in this room, so do try not to dawdle after classes that day, as any tardiness will extend the amount of time the press will be present, and that disrupts the peace." Albus said, adding, "And there will also be a formal series of photos taken for the articles the various papers will be publishing regarding this, so dress accordingly, in your school colors if possible. You may return to your friends or rooms now." He gestured to the door and Fleur headed for it at once, leaving the faint scent of something flowery but nice in her wake, the door clicking closed behind her. Cedric sent a grim look at the Headmaster and moved in the same direction as she had, Viktor following with a sleepy Harry scrubbing at his eyes, since he couldn't muster the energy to reach into his bag and use one of the Pepper-Up potions he always kept on hand. Krum held the door open for him, dark eyes gentle as he guided Harry back to their table with a hand on his hip, hidden by the folds of both of their robes.

Harry could have sworn he saw something flash through Edmund's eyes when Viktor seated himself on his other side, but blamed it on his fatigue.

--

Friday had been almost normal, and now Harry was hurrying to the room for the damned wand weighing ceremony and simultaneously explaining the concept of Ectenic force to Fleur, who was wearing her Beauxbatons uniform and listening intently despite the clatter of her heels and soft thump his boots made on the slate floor tiles as they skidded around the corner and through the doors of the Great Hall. Crossing the expanse of stone that looked strange without anybody in it except what looked like a few unprepared journalists sitting in chairs by the door of the room, furiously scribbling in their notepads and looking frazzled while a woman wearing a close-fitting magenta suit stalked impatiently about, blond curls bouncing in their coif held in place by hair ornaments that strongly resembled the horns Harry had once seen painted around a painting of the Gorgons at a free art exhibit and bit back a snicker. The sound of his hand covering his mouth drew their attention and the Gorgon-look-alike smiled falsely while her eyes sneered and said, "Finally! I know this castle is big, but you are half an hour late. That is unacceptable and-"

Harry interrupted her by tugging back his sleeve and flashing her Draco's watch which had had borrowed for a timed and magic-sensitive potion he'd been working on before classes. The numbers read 4:15 p.m.

"I believe we are early, ma'am, and it is your own fault that you read the times wrong for this little…excursion." Harry said with sickening politeness, sending her a look of pure evil for daring to insinuate he would stoop so low as to be _late. _

She visibly flinched.

--

The ceremony was a lot less painless once Harry made it clear that he wasn't going to stand for the attention being fixated on him due to being an oddity, and even invaded the minds of the reporters and photographers in order to remove stress and make them more cooperative and efficient for the next hour. When they were done, Harry stayed behind to send one more glower at Rita Skeeter (the woman with colorful clothing tastes) in warning before exiting and making a bee-line for the library where some impatient Ravenclaws were waiting for him to teach them some new research techniques and trade books.

--

End chapter 61

Sorry this took so long, but I kinda had a bad day and was harassed by numerous people who know who they are. Not any of my beloved readers, mind you.


	62. Chapter 62

CHAPTER 62

The year was going by far too fast, Harry concluded, laying down a thick volume he had been poring over for his Potion's paper on the multiple uses for goat's beard. He hadn't had much luck trying to decipher the First Task, and neither had the other champions when they had time to talk to each other. Within the first day they had decided that any knowledge found about the Task itself or possible ways to counter-act were to be shared equally amongst them so none of them would win via superior knowledge. Fleur had been reluctant at first, but discovered that there was far more to gain by giving than going solo.

Harry felt the fine hairs on his arms (he wasn't the 'furry' type, it would seem) raise as they always did when he was being watched and he silently sent out a mental finger to prod at whoever it was to try and make them go away because his concentration was compromised when he wasn't alone, or in the company of other humans he mentally corrected, running a physical finger down Raito's spine. The Demon curled tighter into his little ball of fluffy fur on the seat next to him, a sleepy purr rumbling out of his lips.

The person wasn't going away, so Harry sighed and turned around in his seat, blinking when he didn't see anybody immediately. "Um…is someone there?" he asked, feeling foolish. Why would somebody besides the usual psychos be spying on him?

"How did you know I was here?" Asked Bill Weasley, suddenly appearing out of thin air and slinging something over his shoulder like a cloak; he looked a mixture of nervous, apologetic, and excited. Harry jumped, not having expected his visitor to be able to do something like that without him detecting the spell and didn't realize that the redhead had asked him a question. His mind went down a rabbit trail of various ways to avoid being seen by either Wizards or Muggles, and then traversed his mental library for how the Weasley could have bypassed the wards, since Gryffindors (either ex or current) aren't exactly renowned for their expertise at violating the law.

"Uh, kid? Kid?" He waved a hand in front of glazed green eyes and was painfully reminded of why he had chosen this boy out of all the others to try and 'get to know better'. And then some kind of Creature that had almost looked human had come out of nowhere and ruined his chances at getting anything more than a few tastes. Wiping those thoughts out of his mind when he realized the direction they were heading in, he poked Harry's forehead since he couldn't think of anything else to do, and the blank look was starting to freak him out as much as his younger brother Ron's friend Hermione. That girl knew how to do everything but shut up.

Harry caught his hand and twisted his fingers, face expressionless but for his eyes which were blazing with something that Bill couldn't quite name, and knew he had never seen on the face of a child before. "Hi." Was all Harry said, releasing his fingers and smiling pleasantly, the strange look still in his eyes. "This might be a bit forward of me, but you are aware that private ownership of an Invisibility Cloak while not under the jurisdiction of the British Ministry of Magic, Department of Magical Artifacts has been illegal for the past 528 years?"

Bill stared at him, somewhat floored at the unexpected comment and then panicked because Fred and George would kill him if they discovered that he had gotten their prized possession impounded by the goddamned government. He coughed, using it as a distraction while he inwardly went over possible strategies of how he could talk the Slytherin boy out of it.

Harry smirked and nudged the chair his boyfriend was sleeping on with the tip of his toe to subtly rouse him. Yellow eyes cracked a slit and narrowed till they were almost closed when he saw the same pervert who had tried to put his paws on what was _his _at that party.

"Now, Mr. Weasley, that you understand the situation, I would like to ask what you are doing at this school."

"I'm here with my brother Charlie to help keep some of the components for the Tasks under control."

"Oh really? Charlie is the one from Romania with a dragon keeper's degree, yes?"

"Uh, yeah. How did you know?"

Harry just smiled and replied, "The walls have ears, my friend. Now what is this about the Tasks?"

--

John methodically removed the membranes from his quill, the feather slowly deteriorating under his ministrations. The clock on his wall ticked obnoxiously loud inside his inner ears and he was painstakingly aware of just how slowly those ticks came and went. His fingers clenched compulsively over the bare spine of his quill tightly until it snapped in half, spurting ink in a mockery of blood over his pristine desk surface. Where _was _he? It had been two hours, and he was getting antsy, as the pile of destroyed quills would attest to. He had finished all of his paperwork, cleaned his office the Muggle way, done his homework for a night class he was taking in Muggle London on the modern uses of ancient Chinese medicine, and tripped over a loose tassel of the hallway carpet, falling flat on his face in front of a gaggle of interns. The senior nurse with them had tactfully concealed her amusement behind a handkerchief in the form of a false-cough, but the tittering of the interns had mentally harassed him the rest of the day. He owned St. Mungo's and had shot his own reputation to shreds with one pair of new shoes.

He scowled and banished the pile of quills, knowing that he would need to endure his latest secretary for a few seconds while ordering her to buy him more quills lest he resort to using one of his Muggle pens that he had purchased for his Muggle class during the meeting, and he wanted to be impressive, dammit!

Pressing the button on his desk that would light up on hers, he listened for the inevitable crash of her tripping over the new potted plant that had been a gift from the Indian ambassador when he had been treated for a twisted ankle and had wanted to show his good will to the English Wizarding community. When the door opened he pointed his wand at the remains of the plant that he could see beyond her and said the incantation that would make the pot glue itself back together. It was more glue than pottery, now, and the poor plant was wilted with barely a hint of green on it because the silly girl always forgot to water it (but apparently did not forget to feed herself as she had put on a lot of weight lately that could not be passed off as pregnancy; he had checked).

"Connie, could you please get me some new quills?"

"Sure thing, boss." She mumbled. At least she wasn't annoyingly perky like his last one.

--(oooh, wonder who Johnny is meeting!)--

It was 10 o'clock and Harry stood beside Bill under the Invisibility Cloak, feet sticking to the heavy combination of mud and leaves that made up the Forbidden Forest's floor after it had rained, staring in awe at the enormous proud creatures known to Mortal Man as Dragons. The name didn't do the reptiles justice as they roared and strained against their chains, obviously longing to be free of their captors and to go back to protecting their eggs where they lay under powerful warming spells to keep them alive while their mother's were restrained .

To see the mother's separated from their young like that made Harry almost angry, but he held his peace. He had blackmailed Bill in the library into showing him just what he would be facing next week, and wondered how he would ever survive. He might have had nothing to live for when he had last willingly put his life in danger, but now he had friends and family he didn't want to leave behind just yet. Thinking about dying made him think of Mariel and if he would ever see her again, since he was sure he would go to Hell now, and there was supposedly no way to enter Heaven when you were amongst the Damned, or vice versa. He didn't think he could handle that. But then something occurred to him. Wasn't there some kind of forbidden art known as Necromancy that most wizards were terrified to even _mention? _Maybe…just maybe there was something he could do. "I've seen enough." He whispered, gently touching Bill's fingers to let him know that he would be leaving the cloak on a bush behind a tree several yards away while he went back to the Castle. Bill squeezed his fingers, brown eyes staring straight ahead at the awesome sight of some of the most powerful Creatures on Earth as they were restrained by beings far inferior in all but the soul. After all, is not the soul the only thing that gives Man the ability to care for the Earth as God decreed to the very first of our kind? Bill's lips quirked. Damn Slytherin had made him go all introspective just by standing next to him.

--

Harry frantically researched everything he could about Dragons after recruiting the other Champions. Fleur had looked like she was made of alabaster as all the blood had rushed out of her face. Cedric thought she had fainted, and had tried to 'revive' her but got a smack on the hand for his efforts. It had lightened the mood, but under their smiles all of them were fearing for their lives and each other's safety. Throughout their intensive study sessions Harry frequently caught them looking at him with something like pity, and it only strengthened his resolve to prove to the school that his House was not a den of spineless, sniveling cowards and mischief-makers as the rest of the school seemed to think. To prove his own worth in an internationally-acclaimed contest, even if he had no intention of winning was his only goal now.

--

John's gaze rose when there was a gentle rap on his door that his secretary could never accomplish. This was it, the mythical turning point in a man's existence often only spoken of or mentioned in novels.

--

End chapter 62


	63. Chapter 63

Warning: references to Christianity. If that bothers you, I am sorry. Just…skip it?

CHAPTER 63

The day of the First Task dawned freezing and overcast, but the sun came out an hour before they had to be at the tent behind the make-shift stadium that had been set up around the Dragons. Harry swung his foot impatiently back and forth from where he had crossed his legs and folded his arms, wondering when whoever was telling them what they were doing would arrive and 'surprise' them with the nature of the Task itself.

Viktor passed by his seat and they smiled wanly at each other, and Harry sent a worried look in Fleur's direction where the older girl was methodically braiding and unbraiding her hair without seeming to notice the various knots she had worked into it, blue eyes staring straight ahead at some unseen point. Cedric, who was sitting next to her, was trying to catch her attention before she tore off a large lock of her hair or something else equally embarrassing, but to no effect. She came to life when the curtains rippled and revealed the Headmasters, Barty Crouch Sr., Ludo Bagman of all people, and Rita Skeeter. Albus was giving some kind of speech, but Harry had tuned him out, focus on the waves of magical energy he could feel rolling off of the waiting Dragons. He knew if he dug any deeper into those waves he would be able to read the thoughts and feelings of them, but he really didn't have time to delve that far since Charlie Weasley suddenly entered the tent from a different side, out of breath and sweating, and said, "Sir, we have to start soon. Some of them are starting to get antsy, and there is only so long you can restrain something like that."

Albus sighed but smiled benignly at him in dismissal. "It will only be a moment, Charlie."

"Thank you sir!" Charlie was still somewhat out of breath when he disappeared again through the curtains. There was a bright flash of light and Harry bared his teeth at Skeeter's lackey. The man, who had been smirking a moment before about finally getting a shot of him alone, swallowed and lowered his equipment, quietly telling his blonde employer that he had to use the restroom. She sighed and waved a hand dismissively, far too preoccupied with finally getting some answers to the questions she had carefully prepared for the petite Slytherin boy who had somehow entered the contest. Her readers had most upset, and had sent over 20 howlers, when they had read her article on the tournament and not received any juicy tidbits about the cutie.

She stood right next to him, waiting for him to acknowledge her. The crowd outside roared when one of the dragons was apparently released into the stadium in anticipation for whoever was coming. Dumbledore hurriedly rushed Crouch over by grasping his upper arm, and the mustached man thrust out a bag to Fleur Delacour. She blinked at him. He gestured with his chin that she should reach inside, which made Cedric snigger because he had resembled a pigeon for a second. Everyone but Harry glared at him, and he flushed.

The Beauxbatons' champion reached inside and withdrew a little miniature dragon that hissed and spat smoke at the officials. Harry withheld a coo of delight, wondering if they were allowed to keep the miniatures. Fleur seemed to be thinking the same thing since she pocketed it when the bag was passed to Viktor, who also got one of the tiny reptiles. It took a deep breath and exhaled some very hot smoke tinged with flame at him, singeing his hair. He scowled at it and lifted it by its spines until they were eye-to-eye and snarled, "Do not do that again, little Dragon. It is very rude." The creature seemed cowed by that and weakly puffed out a friendly looking cloud of smoke towards Rita, who had migrated to Harry's other side. She coughed and waved her pad of parchment in an attempt to clear it but to no avail. The devilish little thing continued to blow smoke at her throughout both Cedric's and finally Harry's turn to select one. His nipped at his fingers when he reached inside and he internally sighed, knowing that he had gotten the bad-tempered one he had seen in the clearing. Even in his palm it continued to pace territorially and gnaw at the leather of his gloves, making strange screeching noises at him whenever he tilted his hand in a way that displeased it. Viktor looked at his own dragon, and then at Harry's before saying, "I like your's better. It has…attitude."

They both snickered, completely ignoring whatever Crouch was saying, since it was useless stuff they already knew, and they took turns letting their dragons get to know each other in the sunlight flooding into the tent from the aerial vents.

"Um, Mister Krum?" Crouch tapped his shoulder. Viktor turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"You're up first."

"Ah." He handed his dragon to Harry, who cuddled it to his chest, prompting a small puff of sweet-smelling smoke not unlike incense.

"Good luck!" Harry called after him and he waved, stepping through the curtains and into the stadium. The crowd roared, but it was drowned out by the sounds of the Dragon recognizing her new prey. Harry began to mutter prayers he had learned as a child to the saints, Mary, and God himself, prayers that his friend would be spared and returned to him with all of his limbs intact as well.

His prayers were answered because, 23 minutes later, he reappeared with no injuries other than a few minor scratches along his jaw and the hem of his robes that he was wearing over trousers burnt clear off, which gave him a lopsided appearance. In his hands he carried a gleaming golden egg that had sigils scrawled into it's side, obviously to prevent it from being stepped on, burnt, or possibly eaten. Cedric nodded to him when he passed him to go out as well, head held high but stiffness in his steps belying his nervousness. Harry went back to praying, bowing his head over his folded hands and putting as much force behind them as possible. Viktor sat beside him on the sofa meant for the press (neither of them were too keen on the sparse wooden chairs intended for them as they made their bottoms hurt within seconds) but didn't say anything or disturb him. He only placed one of his larger hands over Harry's scarred ones and bowed his head as well. Seeing what they were doing, Fleur rose from her chair and sat on Harry's other side, lips moving in the syllables of a French translation of one of the Psalms of David, a long blond braid hanging over her shoulder and reaching her waist. Cedric came limping in several minutes later, his golden egg tucked under his arm and a small bit of blood slipping out the corner of his mouth and sliding down his face from a small gash on his forehead. Fleur stood silently, lips still moving as she pushed through the curtains and into the stadium, the shouts of the crowd seeming louder this time, and male-dominated.

Harry's lips quirked upwards in as close to a smile as he could get right now, and the dragon perched on his shoulder flicked its tail and seemed to perk up at the sight of it, shifting from clawed foot to foot in an effort to get a better grip on the green cotton of his jersey; Viktor's made a rumbling noise and began to tug on Viktor's dark hair with its mouth, not unlike parrots often shown in commercials for exotic locations.

Focus officially broken, Harry opened his eyes and smiled when Fleur floated in at that very minute, lips in a smirk and not the faintest sign of injury on her and heavy egg in her hands. She made a bee-line to her Headmistress, but Harry had to leave so he didn't see what they did or said. The crowd was silent when he emerged, but he had been expecting that so it didn't bother him. He ducked behind a rock when he saw the Dragon arching its neck back in anticipation to shoot out flames, and just in time too otherwise he wouldn't have been burnt to a crisp. Forcing himself to stay calm (it was only an enormous fire-breathing lizard of death after his blood with minimal restraint), he peeked over the rock and saw the opal eyes of the Dragon fixed on him warily. Raising his hands to show he meant no harm, he slowly moved forward, sticking close to the larger boulders so, in case his peace message wasn't getting through and he needed to save his skin. The Dragon snorted, smoke coming out the nostrils, but did not object to his presence when he showed that he wanted the false egg, not her own. Unable to reach it without touching her eggs, he pulled out his wand, intending to perform a summoning charm the long way since Ectenic force wasn't exactly legal or common amongst children as a skill, but the sight of the same tool that had imprisoned her in the first place had a violent effect and she stamped her clawed feet twice, prompting a small avalanche of loosened rock. When she reared back her neck, he knew that she intended to bury him in a cage of molten rock in a few seconds if he didn't do something quick.

"_Accio_, bench!" He shouted, aiming his wand at an unoccupied one in the back of the stands. It flew into his hands and he animated it so it ran around the stadium in twists and turns, resembling, albeit faintly, a frolicking nymph freed from human presence. Distraction complete, Harry snatched the egg with his hands and made to dash back to the tent. However, his bench-turned-dancer had been caught by the Dragon between her jaws and she cracked it into splinters in less than a second. Harry winced.

The Dragon almost sauntered over to where he had frozen in place, leaned in really close so his face felt like it was getting a really bad sunburn from her breath, opened her jaws wide (which revealed a golden cornea of flames at the back of her throat)…and scooped him up by his jersey, carrying him over to the tent flap while his fingers held onto the egg tightly lest he drop it and possibly ruin the charms and break it anyway. Setting him down, she snorted and stamped a bit, brushing her head against the tent flap to show where she wanted him to go and then retreating to her artificial nest to warm her eggs with her warm belly. The crowd was dead silent, stunned at the Dragon's actions. Then they all looked at Harry. He shrugged at them and pushed aside the flap to enter the tent. The crowd began to cheer as soon as he was gone, and he grinned when Viktor pressed his face into his jersey in a fierce bear hug.

They had all survived, and Harry couldn't be happier. Well, he was when they announced that they were allowed to keep the miniature Dragons since he had grown attached to his catty little reptile and wondered how Asmodeus would react when he showed her to him and Hedwig later that night, provided he could sneak away from his friends.

--

A short man with baby-fine blond hair entered John's office, brown eyes surveying the surroundings before the rest of his body entered and he crossed the room to sit down in the chair in front of him, ignoring his outstretched hand and crossing one leg over the other in a gesture usually employed by females. Maybe he _was _a woman. While John was mentally going over the pros and cons to his visitor's gender, the man (?) opened his mouth and said, "I believe you sent a message for me, and you said it was important although I have never set eyes on you before." His voice was soft and seemed to glide over the space between them, the sound waves holding something new, whatever it was, it was beautiful and John decided that he really wouldn't mind hearing that voice for the rest of eternity.

"John?" The man asked, flicking his fingers in an attention-grabbing way.

"What? Oh! Yes, yes, of course." He shuffled his papers and wished he had prepared a speech or something. What did one say to the Voice of God, anyway?

--

End chapter 63

…I'm evil. Hear me roar! And in case you guys didn't get it, the visitor is Metatron, the Voice of God according to the Catholics (I'm Protestant, so I don't believe in that, but if I meet him I'll tell you guys)

Review!!


	64. Chapter 64

A/N: This has nothing whatsoever to do with the story, but I scored a perfect 100 on my math test, which is practically unheard of since my mental prowess is strongly towards words instead of numbers. Sooo happy! (busts a move)

CHAPTER 64

The carpet in the Restricted Section of the Library was soft against his back, and the dust motes floated in dips and swirls in the faint stirrings of the air from his soft breaths, eyes slipping open and closed as he dozed in and out of waking. The Task had taken a lot out of him emotionally, and he figured he should be allowed a day off. So he faked sick, snuck out of the Hospital Wing, and had been intending to do some leisure reading but decided against it.

Asmodeus had disappeared last night after 'hearing something', and had promised to meet him here sometime that night, since their dorm wasn't private enough and it was getting too cold to use the Forest like they sometimes did. Now he was kind of bored, but didn't feel like reading, and he was too comfortable to listen to his stomach and get some food (who the hell makes library floors that comfy anyway?). The last bell rang for afternoon classes and he could feel the subtle tremors in the floor as thousands of students rushed to pack up their stuff and leave classes behind until tomorrow, and the Castle began to plot who she was going to carry on the right staircase and who she was going to trip, much to his amusement. She sent a gust of warm air through the overhead vents into his face in retaliation for 'mocking her' and sent him a mental picture of Hedwig along with the emotion of curiosity. He mentally shrugged and sent images of her hunting, sleeping, and an imagined picture of her wearing spectacles and reading in an armchair in front of a roaring fire. She sent happy waves and he grinned, eyes closed so he didn't notice Oliver Wood round the corner and nearly trip over him and just barely catch himself.

He quietly crept away. What Oliver Wood, Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, was doing there was his business, but he didn't want anybody watching him doing it. Harry's smile widened into a grin when he felt the magical signature and sent a question to Her. she replied with some images of the boy visiting and getting out books on the manipulation of wind and how to extend your flexibility and grace beyond what is natural through some careful blood work. With the images came the emotion of her being impressed that a Gryffindor would have such a strong desire to be as good as he could at what he loved that he was willing to set aside his fears and the conventions of his friends, even if it was in secret. Deciding to be nice, and do some research at the same time, he forced his sluggish muscles to move and carry him silently after the older boy until they reached one of the desks tucked along the back shelves, 2 books in Oliver's hands and Harry's book bag heavy with the multiple ones he had decided to filch, and some he was still thinking about.

Once Wood had settled himself and begun reading, Harry slipped out of the shadows and sat across from him. "Hullo, Wood." He greeted, voice as cheerful as if he had merely passed him at the Lake or something. The Gryffindor jumped, elbow catching on the edge of the chair beside him hard enough to bruise. "Damn." He hissed, examining his limb dispiritedly and forgetting about his guest.

Harry unpacked one of his books and some parchment, taking notes in French thanks to a quick translation charm for one of his 'students' as they laughingly called themselves. Feeling eyes on him, he glanced up and saw Oliver opening and closing his mouth, obviously trying to think of some way to persuade him to keep quiet about his little habit.

"Your secrets safe with me." Harry said, quill scratching against the paper as he spelled out a particularly fact in as much detail as possible. He should definitely start charging people for this sort of thing.

--

The brown eyes bored into his own intensely and John started to sweat. Rael was one thing, but the Voice of God was another. "You see, um, I've come to understand that there is some sort of war going on, and I…well, I…" He trailed off, fiddling with his hands and feeling like a fool for being this tongue-tied. What he was being offensive? What if he said something stupid and the Angel blasted him with a bolt of lightning or leveled his hospital with fire and brimstone?

Metatron drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair, looking outwardly severe but inwardly amused at the brave Human who had had the guts to send a prayer asking for an audience for a sort of request. Normally he ignored such things, but his curiosity had been aroused when he had perceived the large amount of spiritual energy that seemed to have rubbed off on him from extended exposure to an Angelic or Demonic Being. Further investigation had revealed it to be benign energy, and he had decided to grant the audience. He might have enjoyed scaring the wits out of him with a ghostly voice a little too much, but when you lived as long as he did, and worked as hard, you would want a bit of fun too.

Sick of the silence, he spoke up, "You are correct. I am not at liberty to reveal any knowledge you may not have gathered for yourself already, and that shouldn't have been hard since we have hardly been subtle, what with all the battles in plain sight. I think it would be best if you told me everything you know so far."

Ten minutes later John stopped talking, flushed at the look the Angel was giving him, and twiddled his thumbs, eyes fixed on a bust of Herodotus that his mother's Muggle friend had given him on his graduation from Magical Medical School over 40 years ago. His lips upturned as he forgot why he was so nervous, mind drifting happily away from his surroundings and to memories of being respected and admired for his intelligence for the first time.

Metatron smirked and leaned forward, hand extended until it was right under John's nose. He snapped his fingers and John jumped, face bright red now and beyond embarrassment. "I believe there was a reason you contacted me?" Metatron asked as sweetly as he was able to a Human he didn't want jumping him or something equally detrimental to the neat state of his Muggle suit.

"Ah, well, I was wondering if you needed any Human assistance from a non-combat position."

"You want to help us restrain the Beast and whatever else has managed to slip out?"

"…Yes."

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely. I need some excitement anyway."

"Alright then. I will see you around Christmas with some new information and a Grigori to assist you. She can replace your current _darling _secretary."

They exchanged identical grins, John incredibly relieved that he hadn't done anything stupid and Metatron happy to have broken up his boring schedule for the first time in over a thousand years. Things just weren't the same since Lilith was transferred to a different department.

--

End chapter 64

Sorry this took so long!


	65. Chapter 65

CHAPTER 65

Harry stared at the Egg. It stared back, candlelight gleaming off of it and catching in the runes, making them shine brighter still. The rest of his House who were around (and it was most of them, being 8 o'clock on a weeknight) stared with him, eyes fixed on the mystery plaguing their housemate.

"You say it makes a screaming noise when you open it?" Blaise confirmed, black eyes moving from the Egg briefly to catch Harry's. Harry nodded, remembering the incident at the lake last week when he had decided to see what happened when he opened it. His ears were still ringing the morning after from the force of the high-pitched screeching noise. He had been racking his brains ever since, and had tried to find out if the other Champions had had any luck, but they hadn't even tried to open their's yet.

The door to the Common Room opened and some Durmstrang students with Viktor entered, passing through the crowd of teenagers until they reached the center table on which Harry had set the egg a few hours ago. He set his identical egg next to it and seated himself next to Harry, sighing and folding his legs under himself so he was sitting like an Indian. "Any luck?"

"Nope, not even the slightest inkling of an idea."

"What…what happens when you open it?"

"It screams until you close it." Harry deadpanned, his ears vibrating at the very thought.

"I see. Was there anything inside?"

"Just a clear version of the outside, but it looked like a frozen bubble or something."

"Maybe we should put them in different temperatures and environments?"

Harry perked up, turning his head to grin at Viktor. "Why didn't I think of that?" He picked up his egg, cradling it to his chest as he began thinking out loud, "They were with the Dragons, right? So maybe…heat? F-fire!" He stood triumphantly and set it in the fireplace, stepping back to avoid the sudden flaring of light that leapt up when fire touched it. A horrible cracking noise came immediately afterwards, and the golden casing peeled off like an eggshell, leaving the crystalline center open like the white part of a hard-boiled egg. The flames lowered, seeming to stroke the egg on their way down, and the egg just sat there, not doing anything.

"Do you think I should take it out?" Harry asked, moving closer once again.

"Yeah, but be careful. That thing could be really hot right now." Draco warned, standing up to join him in front of the fireplace, the miniature Dragon Harry had gotten as a sort of souveneir other than the Egg itself from the First Task curled on his shoulder. It puffed scented smoke happily at him, looking very content in the wave of blond hair curtaining it sometimes when the blond moved his head.

"Oh, yeah. Didn't realize that, Draco." Harry said sheepishly, gesturing for his robe to be tossed to him so he could use it as padding between his flesh and the Egg.

Putting out the fire itself, he approached and wrapped his cloak around the golden shape, withdrawing it from the flames and carrying it around so the younger and shorter students could see it and the older ones could make observations now that it was closer. Feeling no hea through his robes, Harry tentatively set it down on the table and stretched out his hand, running one finger over the surface of the egg. It was cold, freezing even. "It's cold?" Viktor asked, noticing a faint shiver go down Harry's spine.

"Yes, and that is very odd…very odd indeed." Harry's eyes had dilated as he considered what he was seeing and what he had felt earlier that day while sitting by the Lake with Luna and feeding the Squid. It was the exact temperature of the water, and felt like the water solidified in a non-ice form. Smirking now, he said he was going for a bath, sending a significant look to Viktor as he picked up the egg and gathered his things. The older boy caught the message, nodding and doing the same, gesturing to his friends that he would be a while.

After Harry fetched some extra clothes from his room to change into afterwards, he exited Slytherin territory, Krum in tow, and set out to find Cedric.

--

An hour later they discovered him sprawled on the yellowing grass in one of the outdoor courtyards scattered throughout the school for students to get some fresh air between classes, the soothing sound of the wind ruffling the leaves of the trees making the area very peaceful. Well, it would be peaceful if there wasn't a large group of Hufflepuffs with him, most of them playing Exploding Snap and a smaller group of muggleborns who were engrossed in a serious game of poker.

Cedric was among about 5 other students who weren't playing with their classmates, choosing to observe or nap instead. Harry stood over Cedric, causing a shadow to fall in his eyes. Gray eyes opened and he sat straight up when he saw Harry and Krum standing there with their eggs, and the shell stripped from Harry's made him very curious.

"Diggory, if you would join us for a little swim, we would appreciate it. Oh, and do you know where Fleur is?"

Cedric shook his head dumbly, still staring at the Egg and wondering what he did to make it do that, and why it wasn't screaming. "Where is your egg?" Krum asked voice gruff in front of the now-staring Hufflepuffs (he hated fans).

"Oh! It's over there, in the shade." He gestured to the Egg where it glowed from its spot next to the piles of discarded robes and book bags from the other students.

"Well, meet us at the Lake, by the large birch tree cove so we can all do this together. I'm going to go find Fleur, and feel free to start without me." He smiled, turning and heading around the Castle, now free to ask her where the French girl was. He received pictures of Luna, Daphne, Tracey, some other blond girl he had briefly chatted with whose name he had forgotten, Draco (Haha!), and finally Fleur in the kitchens eating a lettuce and cottage cheese sandwich and swinging her legs in a carefree way he had never seen from her before.

Arriving at the kitchens a few minutes later, during which he was stared at by most of his schoolmates due to the peeled egg tucked under his arm, and he could have sworn he saw Bill Weasley wink at him when he strutted past, disturbingly close to Edmund Barkley, who hadn't seen him or else he would have talked to him, he asked a House Elf for a glass of water so he wouldn't look weird or like he was stalking her (he refused to try and read her thoughts until he knew it was okay with her, and therefore wasn't sure how her brain waves moved) , he approached the bench she was sitting on. She had just taken a bite of her sandwich when she saw him, but she grinned around her mouthful anyway, waving happily and gesturing in a questioning way when she saw the egg.

"Oh, this? Well, I put it in the fireplace and it…hatched, I guess. Since it reminds me of the Lake water, I was just going to go down and give it a bath, if you catch my meaning."

"Can I come?"

"Yeah, that is why I'm here bothering you anyway."

"I don't _feel _bothered." Fleur smirked, batting her eyelashes in a mockery of flirting that made him choke on his water from laughing so hard. She summoned her Egg, stuffed the last of her sandwich in her mouth in a way that was distinctly masculine, and grabbed Harry by the arm so he had to gulp down his water and hand the glass to the closest House Elf vying for his attention before being swept out the door by a now very excited Fleur chattering about all the progress they could make now.

Arriving at the Lake, Harry pulled off his boots and socks, rolling up his sleeves and pants so he could wade out into the water. Fleur followed immediately after kicking off her heels since her skirt was short enough and she wasn't wearing a jacket, acknowledging Cedric and Krum with a nod as they took a deep breath and opened the tops of their's, quickly submerging them before the sound got too bad. A small group of Gryffindors of varying ages (and Harry saw the tell-tale flash of red hair that signified a Weasley or two) had gathered to watch them, and Harry felt himself somewhat miffed when he realized that they were mostly hoping to catch sight of a soaking Fleur, which really wasn't fair to the older girl since her appearance shouldn't be the only redeeming quality men saw in her.

Hearing a different sound coming from where the Eggs had been put under water, Harry waded out further until the water reached his waist (it was cold and felt kind of slimy because of all the algae still there from summer), held his breath, and ducked under the water with the Egg held tightly in his hands so the current wouldn't carry it away.

There seemed to be soft voices singing about taking something important to him from him, which he would have to retrieve. When the voices continued to repeat the same thing, and his lungs began to protest, he broke the surface, picking a piece of algae with a small fish attached to it out of his hair. Fleur sniggered and he glared at her, stalking over to shore and saying that the answer the Second Task was in the Egg through a song. Her eyes widened and she immediately made for the deeper water, making the appropriate feminine noises of disapproval as her skirt became drenched in the muddy water, finally reaching to water deep enough for her to submerge with the egg without looking foolish, as the crowd had gotten a lot larger to the point where it now included Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs squinting in the dark to see the Champions splashing around the lake at 9 o'clock at night with amusement and mutterings over who's bright idea it had been.

Harry cleaned and dried his clothes, waving goodbye to the other Champions as they tried out the water trick, and then trudging to the Castle to take a shower since the spell just didn't feel the same as a good long shower would. And maybe Asmodeus would be awake and feeling the need to take one too.

--

End chapter 65

Review, my faunlets!


	66. Chapter 66

CHAPTER 66

Stepping into the nearest shower stall, Harry set his things on the floor outside before closing the curtain and starting the water, shivering when it took a while to warm up. Hearing the curtain rustle behind him, he hid his smile by looking at the swirls of now-steaming water heading down the drain.

Arms wrapped around his waist and somebody leaned over his shoulder to kiss his neck juncture just below his ear, making him smile wider and turn around to return the embrace, catching the spot under Asmodeus' chin as payback with his teeth.

"Not fair, Harry." He laughed, trying not to lose any of his carefully constructed self-control and unaware that that was just what Harry had in mind.

--

Exiting the shower an hour later (45 minutes longer than usual thanks to a certain somebody), Harry flopped on his bed, wet hair chilling his neck since he hadn't bothered to spell it dry, and stared at the green hangings stamped with the school crest that framed his bed. They were kind of tacky with all the snakes, but he could hardly change them without arousing weird questions and disapproving looks from Professor Snape.

Asmodeus came out of the bathroom a minute later, and Harry had a feeling that he knew what he had been doing in there that would have caused the delay, but didn't say anything, only sending him an enormous and quite silly grin. Asmodeus stared, and then started to snicker at seeing that many of Harry's teeth at the same time, crossing the room to lie down next to Harry on the bed.

"I hate these curtains." He muttered after a while.

"Me too." Harry sighed and rolled half onto his stomach, a foot closer than he had been before, smirking when he raised his eyebrows.

"Can I help you?" Asmodeus mocked, jerking his head so a lock of brown hair that was poking his eye would get out of his face. It didn't move and Harry helpfully brushed it away for him, smiling sweetly when his boyfriend growled at not being able to be an independent man fully capable of managing his hair by himself, thank you very much.

"No. Just looking." Harry purred in reply, propping himself up on his elbows to hover further over his face, one hand tracing the lines of his bone structure with the tips of his fingers. Yellow eyes closed, and he drifted off to the feather-light touches, barely registering Harry's goodnight kiss on his mouth before succumbing to the exhaustion that even Demons feel after being awake for thousands of years, not matter how many naps he took these days.

-- (Aww…Demons have limitations!)--

Bill had been peacefully sitting in the Forbidden Forest, having been invited to stay a little longer in order to check over the wards, which the Headmaster seemed to feel were threatened, particularly in the library because things had been going missing, and _somebody _had been replacing the missing books with books on Muggle fairy stories and fantasy novels about wizards. Not to mention the history books in the defense against the dark arts section completely consisting of Gilderoy Lockhart adventure books.

He had almost looked irritated when he related these woes to him, so he had checked it out and noticed multiple lines of the wards had been severed or bypassed repeatedly by the same magical signatures, and one of the signatures was unlike any he had ever seen or heard of before. It looked…lethal, but beautiful, and was never seen separate from a green glow that was also unusual, but it was similar to something he had seen in a Dark Magic book under Excessive Dark Magic Exposure, and was tinged with some pureblood exclusive magical traits passed down through blood. If there were things in the Castle with auras like that, they were in major trouble if those things ever got upset or were deprived of whatever enjoyment they seemed to glean from robbing the library.

Reaching out with his mind in the peace and enhanced and untamed magic of the forest, he tried to touch on whoever the beings were, eyes flying open when he saw that it was very close indeed, and accompanied with the unknown one. Hearing the crunching of dried out grass under boots approaching, he leapt to his feet and scaled a nearby tree, concealing himself in the branches, hoping that he wouldn't look too suspicious if the suspects saw him.

Harry Potter came out of the woods, a leaf or two tangled in his hair and looking like somebody had just been snogging him fiercely since his cheeks were flushed, clothes disheveled, and lips cherry red and gleaming. He looked around, a large white cat with a satisfied air rubbing its head against his leg in a sign of affection, and seemingly satisfied went to the middle of the clearing and settled himself down on the dry grass on his back, eyes closed and cat curled up on his chest. After several minutes Cedric Diggory also emerged from the woods, settling himself next to Harry, cross-legged and opening a book from his bag onto his lap and proceeding to study. Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum came in together, Fleur tucking her legs under herself and Viktor opting to sit with his back to a tree and crossing his ankles.

"So…?" Fleur examined her nails, looking nonchalant as she broke the silence.

"Well, now that we're all here, I think we can begin discussing any new developments." Harry said, eyes still closed, one hand lazily carding through his cat's fur.

"Nothing new from my end." Cedric spoke up, smiling at Fleur. Her lips twitched upwards and she said, "Ze same. Viktor?"

"Just wondering who or what it will take. Haven't thought of what I'll miss most yet."

"And you, Harry?"

Green eyes cracked open to look at her. "I have someone I would miss very much indeed, but I don't think they could take them and I am hardly fit to rescue anyone or anything with so many people doing the favor for me."

"Oh really? Do we know this someone?" Fleur inquired eyebrows rising and female curiosity aroused. She had thought to herself just that morning that Harry had to have a girlfriend squirreled away somewhere.

"Hm…maybe." Harry grinned when she scowled at him and threw a handful of grass at him for being so mean.

"Brat." She tossed her hair, refusing to look at him now.

"Stuck-up."

"Wanker."

"Swot."

"Ponce." She threw him a glare as if daring him to come up with another insult.

"Bitc-"

"Don't you dare!"

"Don't I dare what?" Harry asked cheekily, laughing when she threw another handful of grass at him, which made Viktor wake up from his half-asleep state and fling some blades of it at the blond girl.

"Hey!"

"What? I didn't know this game was exclusive." Viktor defended himself, crossing his arms. Fleur spluttered and Cedric snickered, looking up from his book to wink at Harry.

Bill was surprised, not having known that the Champions knew each other this well or that they seemed to be working on the tournament Tasks together, of all things. And was Harry perhaps referring to the man who had punched him at the Quidditch Match? Because he had hardly looked like his father, and Harry hadn't specified the gender of his special someone. And of course he had to ponder over the cat laying on the boy's chest being the bizarre magical anomaly puncturing the wards previously thought to be invincible against all Human and Creature attacks, Magical and Muggle.

--

End chapter 66

I know not a whole lot happened, but next chapter is the Second Task. You may now give me suggestions for the other Champions special people (other than Fleur's sister. She's a given). You may give your suggestions and opinions via reviews or clicking the 'message' button on my profile, okay? Love you all!


	67. Chapter 67

CHAPTER 67

Harry's eyes snapped open, and in the disorientation of just awakening brain functions, he was momentarily confused as to the sense of purpose in his blood that was also making his stomach queasy with nervousness. Realizing that today was the day of the Second Task, he pushed open his bed curtains and his eyes flew to the clock with glowing letters hung next to the bathroom in panic, and sighed when he saw that it was 4:30 in the morning. Rolling onto his side, he scowled when he saw that Asmodeus was still asleep, and didn't seem in the mood to 'play'. Harry poked his cheek, giggling when he snorted and batted his hand away, snuggling his face deeper into the soft pillows. He tried again, tugging gently on one of his long strands of straight hair and Asmodeus flung an arm out, smacking him on the nose in the process and making him yelp in surprise, not having expected that.

The Demon's eye cracked open and he fuzzily withdrew the half of his face that had been between the pillows to ask, "What's going on?" Noticing Harry rubbing his nose gingerly, he tugged away his hand and gently stroked the reddened skin. "I'm sorry about that. Are you okay?"

Harry nodded, capturing and kissing the fingers that had been tenderly stroking the skin slowly draining itself of the extra blood. "Just feeling a little lonely; sorry I woke you up. You can go back to sleep if you want, since there is a book around here somewhere that I could read."

"Oh? And can the book do this?" He ran his hands along Harry's protruding ribs (he may have been eating more, but it didn't make him any less of a skeleton), making Harry squirm and try to suppress his laughter in his giggles lest he wake his dorm mates, who would _not _appreciate it at all.

"No, it can't! Now stop before I-"

"Before you what? Kick me in the shin with the way you are flailing about?" His fingers slowed until they were moving in gentle strokes up and down his spine, rousing shivers instead, which Harry tried to suppress because he knew his boyfriend could read him very well and he wasn't sure how doing _that _would affect his performance at the lake today.

"No, but there are worse places I could kick you."

"Why Harry, is that a threat? From you?"

"I believe it is!" Harry widened his eyes, pretending to be shocked at this new development, grinning when Asmodeus smacked his lightly on the head with one of his hands, the other one wrapping tightly around his little waist and pulling him as close as their clothes would allow, resting his chin over the top of his head and kissing it. Harry relaxed, small hands clasping at his shoulders and wriggling a little until he was comfortable and Asmodeus' sharp hip bone was no longer digging into his stomach.

"Comfy?" Asmodeus whispered, one long arm reaching out through the curtains to snag the box of cigarettes and flame-embellished lighter Harry had left on the table last night after a long smoke while curled on his lap. Pulling one out and lighting it, being sure to leave a crack in the curtains to let out the smoke while he was at it, he put it between his lips and took a long drag, releasing the smoke from his nostrils up into the shadows of the canvass cover of the bed.

"Yeah. Can you hand me one?" Harry asked, head turning until he could meet the Demon's eyes.

"There aren't a lot left, you chain-smoker, you. Do you want to share?"

"Fine by me." Asmodeus handed him the cigarette without hesitation, a lot more comfortable with him smoking after Harry had explained that the degenerative effects didn't happen to him thanks to a gene inherited from his dad, who had gotten it from his mother, who had been quite the smoker he had heard from his father, who wouldn't stop laughing for some reason. Sirius had done it too when he had entered the conversation, and they refused to tell him why, which had been irritating enough for him to seek out his boyfriend for some 'stress relief'.

They smoked 3 cigarettes after the first one together, using them slowly as they chatted about this and that, Asmodeus telling him about this one time that Raphael had personally flung an especially aggravating Grigori with an attitude problem out of the gates to Earth so hard that his wings hadn't been able to function properly for a good thousand years afterwards. That particular Grigori had never bothered him or come to the Healing section of Heaven ever again, even when he contracted the Plague after a foolish mission to Earth to try and convert some of the despairing Humans on their death beds.

When the clock read 7, Harry crawled out of bed and took a shower, being sure to remove all the soap so he wouldn't irritate any of the Creatures of the Lake during the Task. He may have been friendly with the Squid since first year, and had been amiable with some of the Mermen, but he couldn't place any sort of surety on their continuing loyalty; he knew that the intrusion of a Human to their territory could arouse strong negative emotions. Every little bit helped, and he knew the gillyweed he had procured from his head of House would be effective in making him look kind of less suspicious to the Merpeople. He still wasn't sure why, and Snape wasn't the sort of man you asked possibly silly questions, and he had had the feeling that the older man was analyzing his every movement and mentally cataloguing it for later examination. It was unnerving, even for him who did that himself when he felt uncomfortable with somebody. Like Alastor Moody, who had been hanging around in shadows and popping up out of nowhere and acting like it was a coincidence. It was so obvious that he was lying that Harry knew he had to be working for Dumbledore, or had at least been 'asked' (translation: commanded under pain of too many lemon drops) to keep an eye on him.

He finished his homework and an essay on the art of Ectenic force for some interested seventh year Hufflepuffs, and made a lot of copies in case anybody else wanted to read it, since teaching people personally was becoming too big of a burden and there had been some close calls when the teachers nearly found out about him not just tutoring people in Charms like he had insisted the reason for all the students flocking to him was when Minerva McGonagall had cornered him after class and interrogated him.

Packing up his stuff and taking a copy of the paper to give to Cedric after the Task (he refused to think of the possibility of one of them not making it) in his bag, robes worn over the swimming trunks he was being forced to wear. They were made of a thing and lightweight fabric that he knew would help conserve his body heat, so he had copied the fabric technique and made a shirt since he really didn't feel like exposing his scars and thin frame to the public eye (that hateful Skeeter woman who had printed numerous articles about him being the youngest champion ever would be there, and would no doubt find some way of taking pictures of them under water because she was evil like that.

Following the crowd of early students who wanted a more exclusive view and to maybe get the champion's autographs, Harry arrived in time to see that he and Viktor were the only ones there so far. Fleur came sprinting over just as the thought crossed his mind, wearing shorts over her pale blue bathing suit and looking like she had just rolled out of bed. Somehow it managed to look sexy instead of disturbing like it was for everyone else had they happened to try the same thing, and he got drafted into helping her finger-comb her hair to the point where she could pull it back into a sort of twist without pulling half of it out by accident. She kissed him on the cheek as thanks, and Harry heard the tell-tale click of a camera before a blob of bright yellow entered his peripheral vision and Rita Skeeter made some sort of noise that might have passed for a coo before saying, "Ah, young love is so very beautiful!"

"We are _not _in love." Harry growled, eyes looking like twin fires as they gleamed from under his fringe that had fallen into them when he lowered his head, not unlike a bull about to charge.

Rita swallowed and slunk away to paw at Viktor before he brushed her off, dark eyes disapproving when she attempted to engage him in conversation. Since Cedric had just arrived, his friends surrounding him, she migrated to his side and he wasn't rude enough to tell her off, choosing to remain stoic and silent instead.

The judges and various gratuitous officials arrived 15 minutes later, talking amongst themselves about some new ban on Vampires that the Minister had signed. Harry shuddered in disgust when he heard their comments on the supposed crudity and animalistic disposition of the Dark Creatures that had recently been further oppressed. He lived with a Vampire, and had never once felt threatened in his presence, or seen any sign of an ignorant Creature, slave to its desire to drain the blood from anything that moved.

Lining up on the dock overlooking the lake between Cedric and Viktor, he gazed into the dark water and mentally sighed, knowing that whoever was down there was going to give him an earful when they resurfaced.

Albus Dumbledore fired sparks into the air and Harry popped the gillyweed into his mouth, utterly ignoring the other champions as they dove into the water, waiting for his lungs to start burning enough for him to jump in, webbing growing on his fingers and toes, a faint sheen of protective film that kept aquatic creatures warm covering his skin and new openings along his throat that allowed him to breathe air.

Looking around him in the tangle of weeds and algae, he noticed a spark of light and followed it, limbs flowing smoothly as he made his way through swaying stalks of underwater foliage, being sure to nod politely to the merman wielding a spear as he swam to the side without question, letting him enter a stone tunnel that led him out into a buried ruin of pillars. It looked like it had once been a little outdoor building that had once been on an island that had been submerged quite some time ago. There was a row of 4 pillars, and to each was tied a person. A petite woman with dark skin was tied beside a delicate child who looked like a miniature Fleur, and next to them was Cho Chang. To the farthest pillar was Luna, blond hair floating about her head like the seaweed he had swam through. Moving towards her, he was startled when something resembling a half-shark, half-Human swam right between him and her. It was Viktor Krum, and he made a bee-line for the dark woman, not seeming to notice Harry in his haste. Remembering that this was a competition, Harry swam to Luna and untied the knots, fingers being rubbed raw against the water-heavy fibers of the ropes. The blood swirled around, and he got a creeping feeling up his spine when he remembered that some of the Creatures in the lake were carnivorous. Since he had no real desire to win, and Cedric was coming towards them while Fleur was still nowhere in sight, he untied Fleur's sister most of the way and was going to take her up with him when his intuition screamed for him to get out of there.

A sudden violent shift in the current made him grab Luna and the other blond around their waists, heading for the surface as fast as he was able and passing Fleur struggling with a mermaid along the way, and she was cornered between a rock and the other members of the tribe. He was happy that he had taken her sister since she wouldn't have time to reach her sister in time at that rate. He forced his limbs to move faster.

Something large was definitely following him, but he refused to look down and see what it was, head breaking the surface just next to the dock with a now awake Luna seconds before something in a dull shade of pinkish brown, covered in green slime, wrapped around his ankle and pulled him back under. Through the murky water he could see her climbing up the ladder, marking him in second place with Fleur's sister on her heels, making desperate gestures to his body as he was pulled out of sight. Since he had breathed air, his gillyweed was no longer giving him air, which meant that right about now his lungs would start to burn and a little bit of black would start to enter his vision-ah yes, here it was.

Resigning himself to his fate of death by drowning, he wondered to himself which of his friends would marry who, and who would be the first to have children. He was very upset about not getting a chance to say goodbye, but there wasn't much he could do about it as whatever it was that had captured him seemed awfully intent of taking him to Davy Jones' Locker. He gave a mental snigger as his mind conjured images of legendary pirates and the like, no longer giving up any sort of fight, limbs completely limp in the grasp of his captor. There was a new current, and it was following them now.

Something firm and with five ligaments grasped his arm and pulled very hard, hard enough to cause a wring of bruised flesh to rise on his arm, and his leg slipped out of the tentacle's hold with an audible 'pop' and a squelch, his rescuer moving them so swiftly to the surface that Harry, even in his current state of near-unconsciousness, knew that they were being assisted by Magic of her own free will.

Breaking the surface in the very middle of the Lake, Harry passed out with his head over the man's broad shoulder, his last waking thought being, '_At least the sun came out.'_

When he came to, his coughed up a little water (he had been smart enough to keep his mouth closed) and pushed his hair from his eyes where it had been plastered to his forehead. Fleur suddenly entered his field of vision, blue eyes wide and concerned as she cradled him to her chest, a dry towel rubbing roughly across his cheek as she rocked him a bit, rapidly thanking him for what he had done for her sister, as she didn't want her darling to wake all alone and tied to a rock under the lake. The judges were looking at him with approval and respect, seemingly very impressed with his display of compassion for his rival, and most of the students seemed grudgingly accepting of his uncharacteristic heroics.

Looking out of the French girl's embrace in the possible direction of his rescuer, he grinned when he saw it had been Bill Weasley, who was now getting hell from his mother for flinging himself in the water like that, and at the same time his father was congratulating him on being so brave to the 'little Slytherin boy' as he had dubbed Harry. Rolling his eyes, he wrapped his pale, skinny arms around Fleur's neck and allowed himself to drift off to sleep, consequences be damned. He was tired, and he wasn't going to confront the implications of what he had done until he had a nap. Looking back, he was very happy that he had remembered to put concealing charms over the scars lining his wrists, arms, and legs. That would have caused some complicated rumors, he was sure.

--

Humming something to whatever tune caught his fancy, Harry rubbed a towel through his wet hair, happy that the lingering ghost sensation of an unfriendly tentacles wrapped around his ankle had faded once he had vigorously scrubbed the slime off and ignoring the open-mouthed looks his dorm mates were giving him. He had awakened in Fleur's arms half an hour ago, and had seen that she had also decided to nap, reclining with her back against the stands and her sister curled up on her other side, fair hair ruffling in the wind in a way that tempted him to touch it (he didn't, but he wanted to before she left at the end of the school year. It looked so _soft) _and had left to head back to the Castle, brushing off the other reporters on his way and only nodding and saying that he would talk after he showered to anyone who came up to speak to him along the way.

Now, clean and fully rested with the usage of his lungs no longer painful, he was prepared to show his happy face and try not to concentrate on most of the awed stares from his male housemates being from him having taken a nap with Fleur Delacour herself, and getting kissed on the cheeks and forehead in a perfectly respectable gesture of thanks. He wondered if the other Champions were faring better, and he really couldn't' wait until this whole tournament thing was over with because he really didn't need the stress.

--

End chapter 67

Hope you see fit to review! It's long…love me?


	68. Chapter 68

A/N: Hey guys, sorry for no update yesterday. Was exhausted and without internet for most of the day, and when I did get it my brain was too fried to make any real progress in the story. Oh, and will someone _please _tell me when the Third Task is? I know it is after the Yule Ball, but not by how much. Unless you want this story to get really condensed and weird (in a bad way), please take a second to let me know! Love and coffee to whoever tells me first.

CHAPTER 68

Biting into a slice of toast at Draco's urging, he surveyed the Great Hall with bored eyes, meeting the gaze of any impudent to still be staring at him a week after the Second Task because they had nothing better to do with themselves.

His House couldn't be happier with his score (he had scored higher than Viktor for creativity and valor) and were being annoyingly attentive. Needless to say, it was now common knowledge amongst them that if they saw him, they should either give him food or force him to take a detour from his very important engagements and allow himself to be escorted to some place where there was food because he probably hadn't eaten anything that day anyway.

He appreciated their intentions, but it did make sneaking off for some private time with Asmodeus increasingly difficult. And by the way his boyfriend had begun rubbing himself against him in class and licking him with his cat tongue, he was feeling the heat too.

Finishing off his toast, he got up to head to class, smiling at Daphne when she did the same and hooked her arm through his affectionately, even though this meant he wouldn't be able to get to know any broom closets better. Raito's yellow eyes narrowed to furious slits and Harry quickly pushed his head down into the bag before he did something regrettable…like biting Daphne. They headed outside to make their way to the greenhouses where they would be harvesting and drying Devil's Snare, and trying not to lose any limbs in the process since the little things should be labeled 'pure evil' due to their penchant for grabbing and mutilating little fingers. Or at least that was the general consensus from the unfortunate older years who had already had the delightful experience.

She chattered about what kind of dress she was going to try and find to wear to the Yule Ball, pausing to shriek when a blast of powerful November wind nearly blew her skirt all the way up in full view of some suddenly attentive male students from Beauxbatons. She blushed and spelled her skirt to make it heavier along the hem, making it stay in place from then on with no assistance from her hands.

Arriving there while it was still empty, he picked a table that was close enough to the door and would cause Professor Sprout to strain her eyes to keep an eye on in case he got bored or had an accident and needed to leave without specific permission. Since she was partnered with Ted, Daphne chose the table next to his, pulling out the text and reading it over while they waited for the rest of the students and their Professor to arrive in peaceful silence only occasionally broken by the chirping of birds that hadn't flown away just yet.

Students began to file inside in groups of two and three, setting themselves up at tables and gossiping about various topics, the Yule Ball dominating because you had to have a date to attend, and apparently that was something exciting for normal students. Since he had to attend, being a Champion, he would need to find a date soon before everyone he knew well enough to have them understand that it wasn't romantic was taken.

--

Moving his wand in a vicious motion, he watched his conjured stone wall crumble to dust silently and disperse into the air, disappearing completely after a few seconds filled only with the sound of his harsh breathing. He had been feeling hormonal lately, and had snapped at some annoying first year Ravenclaws who had decided to read his homework over his shoulder and find fault with his writing style. He had gotten pissed off and stalked out of the library shortly after saying that the kids really should mind their own business.

Feeling an inexplicable need to smash something, preferably Dumbledore's pawn Moody's skull, he had headed out to the Forbidden Forest immediately after Potion's class, skipping Charms in the process. Someone was going to give him hell about that later, but he thought he was saving some lives by getting his energy out this way instead of by going on some kind of blood rampage like he was feeling an increasing need to do. In fact, now that he pinpointed what was bothering him, he realized that he craved blood. Maybe not to drink like he initially thought, but to see it spilling out of something in a deadly flow that would end the Creature's life, only it wouldn't be the usual scarlet of humans but a rich blue and-

He cut off his thoughts, breathing hard and wondering what was going on, no solution or cause entering his mind until he remembered that this morning Asmodeus had bitten him hard enough to make him bleed a little onto the sheets. His breathing spiked and his thoughts began to speed up until they reached a feverish pace that brought multiple images of just what might have happened when he did that.

Harry wondered if Asmodeus knew what he had done.

--

Mammon's eyes gleamed ferally as he entered the Ministry, heading for Lucius' office with determined and graceful strides. Since he had bypassed the new security measures that had been set up when the news of some psychopath escaping from Nurmengard, no one questioned him as he walked past various restricted sections. Reaching his destination, he didn't bother to knock as he entered the pristine office, butter-colored corporate carpet sucking at his shoes as he crossed it to the other side of the desk to where the blonde had pillowed his face in his arms while he slept. Gently moving Lucius' head to the side, careful not to wake him up, he inserted a key he produced from his pocket into the third drawer down on the left, sliding the well-oiled wood out to remove the folder he was looking for, distinguished from the thick stack by the bright red stamp proclaiming it 'CONFIDENTIAL' and the neatly typed label spelling out 'Project Black Moon'.

Kneeling on the carpet to open his Muggle brief case, he tucked the document inside, making sure that he didn't wrinkle the pages before he snapped it closed and rearranged Lucius back to where he had been before, only moving his green quill into his fingers to show that he had fetched it successfully.

He was about to exit the office when the door opened unexpectedly and a pair of dark eyes glowered at him, a long black braid curling over her shoulder snapping back and forth in the air by itself in a clear sign of irritation.

"I thought I smelled something odd." Miss Black snapped, eyes narrowing to slits as she stepped all the way in and closed the door with a muffled click, violet-colored skirts fanning out on the floor in an impressive display of expensive velvet that most women would be terrified to even touch should they encounter the garment in a tailor's.

"Now, now, Ingrid, no need to get excited."

"I'm not excited, you swine. I am going to send you back to where you came from."

"Heh, I'm sure that that kind of spellwork is more than a little out of your league."

"Are you sure about that?" she was smirking now and he felt a sudden sinking in his stomach as he noticed the faceted look of her pupils. It would appear that he had missed a major part of her magical signature last time he had looked at it.

--

End chapter 68


	69. Chapter 69

A/N: (looks at chapter number) (cracks up) oh, and if any of you guys like electro, check out Aural Vampire.

CHAPTER 69

He took a deep breath that he didn't need and smiled benignly at Ingrid, trying and failing to ignore the way her skin seemed to crackle with barely-controlled power. He was stronger, but he didn't want to hurt a woman who was just doing her job, since that would bother him for God knows how many centuries later.

"Ingrid, I know that you think I am a-"

"I have no doubts about you being a Necromancer. Personally, I have nothing against the art, but I simply cannot allow you to roam free like this, especially at this point in time."

"Now look here-" she interrupted him again with, "Don't you dare try to make excuses for yourself, young man! The very fact that you managed to escape from me last time in my one moment of inattention is proof enough for me that you need to be obliterated before you take that document that you've stolen to whoever you work for."

"What document?" He tried the innocent act, flinching when she glared fiercely and slammed the door behind her, the locks snapping into place by themselves.

"You know very well which one." Her voice was a hiss, and he backed up until his back met the polished wood of the desk, one hand sneakily reaching for Lucius' letter opener. His hand brushed fingers instead and the hand closed over his and squeezed until the mortal flesh began to purple and his bones crunched ominously. Despite the violence, Lucius' voice was politely charming and cheerful when he asked, "What are the two of you doing in my office?"

"I was simply removing this intruder, sir." Ingrid smoothly replied, not looking at all sorry for trespassing without authorization or an emergency situation.

Lucius cracked Mammon's index finger in half unconcernedly. "Oh, thank you, but I believe that this man has an appointment. If you would give us some privacy…?"

"Of course, sir; I will wait outside to escort him out of the building when you have finished."

Mammon managed not to scream when the injury was twisted, damning his decision to use a body that had a nervous system to switch up his routine a little bit. "You can release my hand now." He hissed, fairly sure that Ingrid was using a listening charm to take notes on their little meeting.

The blond unwrapped his fingers from the injured hand and whispered a healing spell. "Sorry about that. She would have thought something was up if I had shown any sign of decency to you."

"I understand; it just surprised me. I haven't felt the sensation of pain in a very long time, and one forgets how unpleasant it is, and you have a very impressive grip."

"Well, I'm not entirely helpless in combat. But I don't think you're here to chat about inane things, are you?"

"No, I am not. Is there anything else besides the document that I should have?"

"Right now? No, but I will contact you if I find anything else."

"I appreciate it. How is your daughter?"

"There was a minor flaw in one of the stitches on her right upper arm, but I mended it so she should hold together very well from now on. She wanted me to thank you for everything you did for her as well." A trace of a smile was on his lips as he spoke of his child, and Mammon was reminded vaguely of the way Lucifer had used to speak of Lilith before her betrayal.

"I am glad to hear it, and be sure to tell her that I will come and see her on her birthday. Have a pleasant day." He bowed a little, lifting the black felt fedora on his head off a couple inches in respect before opening the door and closing it quietly behind himself, yellow eyes hidden behind brown contacts sizing up Ingrid, who had her arms folded under her breasts and was sending him another of her hostile looks while still managing to look feminine and elegant.

"Ma'am." He nodded, moving to sidle past her and into the hallway. She followed on his heels and he could feel her eyes boring into the back of his skull like screws. It was not a comfortable sensation and he was considering killing her in a much more favorable light now, since it would be damned inconvenient to have to sneak around when he tried to visit Lucius at work because she was on the prowl with a metaphorical sniper rifle.

He had reached the elevator and politely asked her if she wanted to go up or down. She didn't reply, only leaning forward slightly to press her index finger to the arrow pointing downward. He took advantage of the moment to peer down her dress, and knew she had caught him looking when she glowered and stepped into the elevator. He followed, smiling at the only other passenger in the usual silent greeting reserved for such experiences. The young man had long red hair pulled back in a ponytail, revealing a series of ear piercings in the form of glass studs, and one longer earring with a fang from some strange Creature hanging on it.

Exiting the elevator when it reached the ground floor, he headed for a section marked off with red tape and wards invisible to the naked eyes of Mortals. Ingrid raised an eyebrow when he walked through them without effect, striding straight for a jagged hole blasted straight through the wall. Through the hole was visible the distinctive brick patterning and the faint sound of water rushing through tubes characteristic of Muggle London's impressive sewage system.

"You coming?" he asked her, looking over his shoulder. She walked through the wards and climbed through the hole with him, neither of them caring about the alarms going off in the security office two floors above.

--

Picking at his nails in boredom, Harry swung his legs as he waited for Madam Pomfrey to let him visit Blaise, who had come down with the nasty cold bug going around the school. His violent urges that Asmodeus had awakened had dimmed to a dull pulse of power at the back of his mind, and it made his fingers twitch and his skin itch.

He scratched at his arm, green eyes focused on a small beetle as it made lazy loops and dives in the chilly air of the Castle, its bright green shell gleaming in the sunlight that poured in through the windows.

The insect came right up to his face and he narrowed his eyes at it, wondering if it was normal for beetles to have magical signatures.

--

End chapter 69

Ooooh, the plot thickens! What was Bill doing at the Ministry? Why is there a hole leading to the sewer? What the hell is up with the beetle?!


	70. Chapter 70

A/N: god, its 70 already!

CHAPTER 70

Stepping out into the first snow, the fluffy flakes sticking to his eyelashes and making him blink; Harry looked up when Viktor wordlessly materialized at his side, a large black umbrella held aloft and looking uncomfortable with the way a pack of maybe 12 girls attempting to follow him 'discretely'. He looked so odd holding it that Harry had to stifle a laugh in his scarf, trying and failing to look like it had been a cough. Viktor rolled his eyes and tilted the umbrella so some of the accumulated snow on top fell on Harry's head, some of it weaseling down the back of his coat (he hadn't worn his drafty robes in over a month now because they utterly failed to conserve his body heat) and chilling his back. Scowling now, he stepped under the shadow of the umbrella, pretending to ignore Viktor who was smirking steadily at him as they made their way to the far side of the Lake so Harry could make sure Hedwig wasn't harassing the Squid again. She had learned to swim in the channels of water that intersected that Chamber, and lately had taken to swimming in the Lake regardless of what the Creatures living there thought of a very large Basilisk intruding in their homes. At least she knew enough to keep her eyes closed.

Arriving at the Lake, Harry got on his knees so he could test the water temperature without being in danger of having Viktor get into one of his playful moods and toss him in. It was freezing, but Hedwig's scales would protect her from that. Sending out a mental probe for her signature, he sat back on his heels while he waited for her to approach, and hoped that Viktor wouldn't be frightened or angry with him for keeping such a fundamentally dangerous Creature alive and at a school for young children no less.

A loop of scaly hide rose through the water some feet away and Harry sensed Viktor stiffen, but was not able to look at him properly as a large snowflake had settled right on his eyeball, and he was blinking furiously to get it out. A few more coils appeared, rising in graceful arcs as she approached the tip of her crest creating ripples in the water when it rose up from the frigid depths.

Harry smiled when she began to slither out and onto the muddy bank, forked tongue slipping out to taste the air and allow her to pinpoint his direction without opening her eyes. She noticed his awed guest and asked who he was, tail twitching in the water from side to side in obvious interest.

"He is a friend of mine. Viktor, this is my other pet, Hedwig."

"Ah, nice to meet you." The young man offered, doing his best to sound respectful and polite lest it was volatile and decided to eat him. Harry translated for her, grinning when she noted that his friend smelled like something nice and spicy to eat, but that she wouldn't even nibble him because he was with Harry.

At Viktor's raised eyebrow, Harry said, "She likes the way you smell."

"I see."

They spent the next hour talking, Hedwig sometimes joining in but mostly lazily dozing with her enormous head in Harry's lap.

--

The sewer was surprisingly dry, and Ingrid only shortened her skirts a couple inches to avoid having them drag in the thick layer of accumulated dust and grime. The Necromancer walked at a fast pace, boots kicking up small clouds of dust behind him, and she was sure to avoid them when she discarded her usual lady-like way of walking to keep up, not putting it past him to take a sudden turn into one of the many darkened tunnels that they sometimes passed, looking more like gaping wounds in the glossy surface of the Victorian-era glazed brick.

As she had suspected, he made a sudden dart into one of the tunnels and she did her best to follow without tripping over the heavy cloth of her clothes. Entering a small chamber, she blinked when she saw he was waiting for her. he offered a hand and she carefully placed her gloved one in his, wondering what he had planned. Unexpectedly there was a sharp tug on her navel and everything seemed to swirl and darken, not unlike a bad drug trip.

--

End chapter 70

Sorry it is so short. Had to work most of the day, and didn't get to this when I wanted to.


	71. Chapter 71

CHAPTER 71

It was a week before the Yule Ball and there was now a mad dash to get dates, dress robes, and all the other things teenagers consider vital to not be embarrassed at a dance. Harry observed all of this with a faint smirk on his lips, taking note of who was available and who wasn't since he _had _to have a date to dance with when he opened the Ball with the other Champions. He was currently in the Owlery sending a letter to his guardians to let them know that he would need them to send him his dress robes because he was going to the Ball after all, getting nipped on the fingers by the large and unfriendly owl he was going to use before a white one with a small thatch of grey feathers on it's crest gently took the letter from him, clicking it's beak in a way that seemed to say that it understood when Harry instructed it on how to pass through the wards of his house. He shouldered his bag, and rubbed his hand where he had stained it with ink on the side of his trousers, idly wondering whether or not Asmodeus would be up to some messing about when he got back.

Exiting the Owlery, he collided with Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw Seeker who had made fun at most of his friends at various points over the past few years, but had recently stopped. She hadn't bad-mouthed him, though, for some reason which he found interesting. Was she afraid? Or was it something else? Her brown eyes were wide and her lips slightly parted in surprise as she took a step back after their impaction, hands clasping together in front of her and she fiddled with them, now avoiding his eyes. When he didn't move, she croaked out, "You can, uh, you can go, Potter."

"Thanks." He flashed a smile, inwardly raising his eyebrows when her face flushed bright red and she stuttered something out very fast. "Pardon?"

"Um, would you…would you like to go to the Ball with me?" when he didn't say anything, too shocked at this unexpected request, she waved her hands and hurried to say, "That is if you don't already have a date, which you probably do. Sorry." Her eyes fastened on some point in the distance and her breath hitched in an attempt to not cry in front of the Slytherin boy eyeing her with the friendliest look she had ever seen not directed at one of his little friends. He was probably about to turn her down gently. She tried to look confident in her decision to screw what her mother called ladylike behavior and ask the boy she wanted as a date to the dance. Now look where it had got her.

"Okay, sure. I'll go." Her eyes snapped to his and she gasped happily when she saw he wasn't being sarcastic.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Do you want me to come get you from your Common Room or do you think you can brave the dungeons?"

"Um, which is better for you?"

"I think I should pick you up, if you don't mind, so you don't get your dress dirty in the dungeons. God knows the House Elves clean the place once every ten years, so it can get you a bit musty."

"Okay. Sounds good." She bit her lip, smiling shyly at him. He grinned back and headed down the stairs to go to his dormitory.

--

His plans for a lazy afternoon writing out essays on various subjects and compiling lists of reading material for his 'students' were quickly destroyed when he was told by Blaise that they were being forced to go to a room on the other side of the Castle and meet with a dance instructor with the rest of their House in preparation for the Yule Ball because the headmaster didn't want the school to look bad in front of their guests.

Scowling as darkly as his friend, they stalked across the Castle, not bothering with secret passages or short cuts since neither of them wanted to arrive on time or, god forbid, early. Slinking into the room and finding seats in the back with most of the older boys, who glared at them for stepping on their toes as they found open spots, they observed the room with vague interest, noting that some traditionalist had placed the girls on one side and the boys on the other. This was going to be a very irritating waste of time, as Harry was sure he could learn the dance in maybe ten minutes depending on his partner, but then he would be forced to stay longer while everybody else tried to pick it up as fast as possible so they could leave.

A man emerged from a recessed door on the other side of the room in a corner, dressed in horrendous brightly-colored robes…and suddenly Harry knew who it was. judging from the various groans rising up from both sides of the room, so did everyone else unfortunate to be about to receive dancing lessons from their old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

Lockhart clapped his hands unnecessarily, grinning broadly at his unwilling class and winking in the direction of the girls. None of them tittered or even smiled like he was used to, which unnerved the blond just a little. In fact, they looked most uninterested and unladylike in their slouched positions, picking at their nails, and he spied a few of the older girls smoking. He couldn't tell them to stop because it was legal, though, and this further shrank his imaginary authority. He really hoped his partner in this project turned up soon, because apparently Albus had been right when he had insisted that the Slytherin students would need extra supervision.

Professor Ermingilde entered through the same door he had at that moment, and looked like he was about to turn around and run the other way after his eyes looked at a certain part of the room. Gilderoy followed his gaze and swallowed when he spied the Potter boy that was strangely popular amongst most of the Houses that normally rivaled one another sending the current DADA teacher a Cheshire cat grin.

"Now that my colleague has arrived-" several students sniggered "-we can get down to the dance lessons!"

No one moved. Dmitry coughed, getting their attention once again. "Okay, you guys, now is the time to get out of your seats and choose your partners…because if you don't in the next 2 minutes I will pair up whoever is left with whoever I see fit."

There was a moment where everything was still and Dmitry opened his mouth to start setting them up when Draco Malfoy stood up and crossed the room to take Pansy by the elbow, followed by Ted claiming Daphne, and the older students began to grab their boyfriends and girlfriends in record time. Those who weren't dating anyone in their House, or were single, paired up with the first person of the opposite gender they could.

Blinking, the two adults shrugged and Gilderoy gave out instructions while Dmitry prowled amongst the students to see if they were doing it right, making minor corrections in the movements of a grand total of 4 students, all of whom were younger. The whole thing seemed to be a waste of time since, if they didn't already know the dances, they picked it up almost immediately and the few couples that were less than perfect were uneven in height or weight, which upset the balance of the movements.

A very boring hour later, Lockhart and Ermingilde dismissed them tiredly, wondering why they weren't getting paid more for this sort of thing.

--

Tired from all the movement (with his sleep schedule and muscle structure, Harry was not inclined towards athletics), he entered his dormitory and laid down on the bed beside his boyfriend, nuzzling the furry side of him with his cheek, lips upturned in a half-smile when a rough tongue lapped at his nose briefly and the feline shifted about so his whiskers were brushing his forehead with each sleepy breath he took.

Blaise, who had entered with the intention of asking Harry for some tips on the advanced shrinking charm, smiled when he saw it, gesturing for Daphne to be quiet when she followed him inside. Her eyes lit up at what she saw and she dug into her purse for her Muggle camera that she had bought on a whim last month in London and altered to work in the magical field. Snapping a picture, she slunk back out with Blaise after he retrieved some different homework.

They would be sure to wake him up for dinner.

--

End chapter 71

Aww! Wittle Harry and Asmodeus!


	72. Chapter 72

A/N: squees I want Harry as _my _date! Oh, and Cedric and Luna are not romantically interested in one another. They are good friends, peoples.

CHAPTER 72

The Great Hall had been decorated to look like a gorgeous land of enchanted ice that sparkled and gleamed off of nearly every surface while enchanted snow fell from the ceiling, disappearing a few feet from the floor, which looked like the surface of the Lake frozen over and all the frozen forms of the Creatures that lived in it were visible. Harry saw the edge of a black tentacle with slime covering it coiled around one of the pillars and was unable to suppress a shudder. Complimenting the Charms Instructor on a job well done, he left the hall and headed for the Ravenclaw Commons.

Leaning against a wall casually, he got some strange looks from the other boys from other houses who were also waiting for their dates, as he was the only Slytherin present. He smiled at them briefly before going back to picking studiously at his nails, a few spots of blood now staining his white cuffs. He was wearing a Muggle suit since the dress robes no longer fit him (he had had another growth spurt last month) and were charmed against re-sizing. He frowned when he remembered how seedy the tailor who had made the robes was, and he really should have suspected something like that.

His thoughts were cut off when Cho peeked out the door shyly, brown eyes roving through the crowd of boys who were suddenly standing straighter until her eyes rested on Harry. He waved and she gave a little finger wiggle before easing the rest of the way out the door and coming over to him. She was wearing a traditional Chinese dress robe that was embroidered with bronze butterflies and red lotuses (can you people tell I have no idea what she was wearing?) and long filmy sleeves that covered half of her fingers. Her hair was piled on her head in a complex series of twists and braids held in place with bronze ornaments. The effect was stunning, and Harry felt no qualms in offering his arm for her to take, grinning down at her when her finger shakily closed over it, rings glinting in the candlelight as she kept her eyes fixated on the floor.

"You look great." Harry whispered, leaning down a little to reach her ear and mentally rejoicing in finally being taller than a girl other than Pansy or Daphne, neither of whom could be remotely called statuesque.

"Thanks." She whispered back, face flaming. They arrived at the entrance area in front of the Great Hall where Harry had waited to be sorted so many years ago unwittingly surrounded by the people that would share food, clothing (Greg lost his tie so many times he had stopped counting the times he had loaned his out), and living arrangements.

Cedric came over, Luna leaning on his arm and looking like she was about to pass out from exhaustion. Harry had seen her sneak out of the Castle last night and almost asked her where she was going but decided against it as it was really none of his business what she chose to do with herself, even if he didn't agree with it. There was a bruise carefully covered with make-up high on her cheekbone and another peeking out from the sleeve of her white dress constructed of eyelet lace. It was very vintage, so Harry hazarded a guess that it was her mother's, and was happy that she had found something that flattered her so well.

She sent him as friendly look as she could manage and he led Cho over so he could slip her a pepper-up potion, Cho striking up a conversation with Cedric on Quidditch while Harry handed the potion to Luna, who swigged it without looking at what it was. Her grey eyes seemed to dilate and then go back to normal. She handed him the bottle with a smirk and a mouthed 'thank you'. He tugged on one of her two braids playfully, fingers fiddling with the blue ribbon tied in a bow at the end.

Viktor placed a hand on Harry's upper back suddenly, making him jump. Turning to greet his friend, he noticed the dark-featured woman from the Second Task on his arm, wearing a dress in red velvet to match Viktor's uniform. She winked at Harry, black eyes sparkling like the gems around her neck. Harry winked back, asking Viktor who his date was.

"She is Genevieve, my girlfriend. They had to put her on a Muggle plane to get her here for the Tournament in time." He looked quite proud of her, and Harry really couldn't blame him. Muggle airports were harrowing places filled with many evils in the form of people wearing 'staff' or 'security' tags; his guardians had assured him with all seriousness that they hoped he never had to set foot in one when he asked why they were so nervous about accompanying his father and Maalik to the airport a few days before he set off for school.

"Nice to meet you." Harry offered his hand and she shook it, replying, "It is nice to finally meet the one Viktor spends so much time with." She looked like she was going to say more, but Fleur and Roger Davies had appeared and Professor McGonagall rushed over to them, plaid dress robes rustling as the taffeta layers rubbed against one another with her brisk strides.

"Are you ready to open the Ball?" She asked, looking more than a little frazzled to be surrounded by so many over-excited teenagers dressed in their finest. Harry looked to Cho for confirmation before nodding with the rest of them, although not so eagerly as dancing took a lot out of him and he wasn't sure how long he would have to dance until it would be appropriate to take a break. He would unfailingly end up dancing most of the evening since he didn't want to be a bad date to Cho, but he would find some way to take breaks.

"Well then, off you go!" the crowd that had not yet entered the Hall suddenly away from the doors, and they swung open with the icicles tinkling faintly, revealing that the crowd on the other side had also parted in a human hedge leading to the dance floor. Quelling his nervousness, he allowed Cho to slip her small hand into the crook of his arm as they took up the rear of the procession directly behind Cedric and Luna, who looked over her shoulder to briefly stick out her tongue, making Harry smirk in response.

They stood in the center of the dance floor, looking to Flitwick for the signal that the music was starting. When the orchestra (which Harry had not noticed earlier) struck up the classic melody of the Wizard's Waltz, he took Cho's waist and started in on the steps, careful to keep his movements in time with the beats so he would remember what he was supposed to do after each move. Lifting Cho into the air took a little more effort than he had been expecting because he didn't want to snag her sleeves, but they managed and she was flushed and happy when he set her down on the floor, resting her head on his shoulder when other couples began to join them.

From across the room and under the table he would be eating dinner at in the next 15 minutes, a pair of glowing yellow eyes glared at Cho, forcing Harry to bite his lip in an effort to restrain a burst of hilarity. He would be sure to get his boyfriend under control before he seated Cho, or else the mediwizards wouldn't recognize her with all the scratches and bite marks.

When the orchestra went silent, he led Cho over to the table, surreptitiously moving Raito's growling body to the side with his boot (he really couldn't be bothered to buy dress shoes that he would only wear once), pulling out the chair for her to sit on. Seating himself beside her, he discussed with her the various food options and what kind of food she liked and didn't like, learning that they shared an intense love for treacle tart.

Unable to decide, he chooses one at random, grinning when Cho chose the same one while giving him a secretive little smile. Fleur swept into his range of vision, dressed in a silvery silk dress that seemed to float with every move she made. She patted Harry's hand when she seated herself beside him, earning him a competitive glower from Roger who leaned back to meet his eyes out of Fleur's view. Fleur wasn't fooled, giggling at Cho, who was looking a little miffed at the French girl for sitting next to her date.

Viktor and Genevieve seated themselves across from them, followed by Cedric and Luna, who was looking more awake than she had all week, grey eyes almost blue with happiness. She took a deep drink from her water, ordering almost immediately after skimming the menu with her eyes, Cedric taking about 2 minutes of deliberation between the chicken sauce versus the alfredo.

Their food appeared a few minutes later, and they ate while discussing the merits of House Elves versus human staff, human rights and the Elves lack of them being inserted into the debate. Hermione Granger, who was sitting at the table next to their's with her date Fred Weasley switched tables with their consent to join in the conversation, providing a lot of information on the living conditions of Elves and ownership spells used by the families that kept them that they hadn't been aware of. In the end it was decided that none of them would ever keep a House Elf against its will or use any mind-altering charms to make them want to work. They also made goals to raise awareness amongst the student body so more students would be converted, thus passively taking a chunk out of the industry that provided House Elves to those who didn't already own some or have any chance of inheriting their services.

Cho turned out to be more interested in talking and drinking punch than dancing, which was a relief, so they only danced 3 total, not including the opening waltz. People sent them odd looks, probably wondering what was so interesting about metallurgy, but neither of them noticed, too busy in exchanging information while Raito territorially crawled into Harry's lap and remained there for the rest of the evening when they had danced their last dance (some idiot had elbowed Cho in the lower back by accident, so that might have been another factor in her sudden disinterest), growling at Cho when she'd tried to pet him.

Harry smacked him on the nose for that, earning a plaintive mewl and a pleading look.

"Your cat seems to have quite the…personality." Cho noted, fingers fidgeting with the embroidery on her sash that cinched her waist, revealing how small and shapely it was.

"Yes, yes he does." Harry agreed, running the tips of his fingers along a new sweet spot he had discovered last night behind his left ear.

--

The rest of the evening was fairly uneventful, other than the Weasley twins getting caught spiking the punch by Professor Snape and given a month's worth of detentions, and Hermione shrieking something at Ron and slapping him before stalking off in tears.

Harry ended up getting his suit ruined from tears soaking it after he had suggested to Cho that they go after her to make sure nobody did anything to her, and suspected that Cho only came along to be with him.

Climbing the steps to his dormitory at curfew, which had been raised several hours later so the teens could party longer, his feet aching and sore and he barely managed to take off his suit in time before collapsing on the bed. Raito came in a few minutes later, transforming once he was behind the curtains and wrapping Harry in his arms and tangling his feet with his. He kissed his neck and whispered that he was going to get a talking to tomorrow about being too friendly with girls.

--

End chapter 72

Review!


	73. Chapter 73

CHAPTER 73

Waking to a beak tugging on his hair, he turned his head towards the distraction and saw the nice owl he had used to ask for his now-useless dress robes. It seemed to glitter a little in the early morning light (this was the longest he had slept in a long while. He might have even made it to 7 o'clock) and its eye color was more intimidating than he was used to from owls. It ducked its neck again to tug on his hair.

"Um…are you lost?" He asked the bird, feeling a bit silly, hoping he wouldn't have to get out of bed to help it because the room was very cold and drafty, and Asmodeus was wrapped around him, face buried in the crook of Harry's neck, soft breaths tickling just a little as he slept. His long hair fanned out on the pillow and was tangled with his own in some places from his shifting about to find a comfortable position (giggle snort) in the cumbersome but warm bedclothes.

It gave a soft hoot that sounded somehow negative. It shifted on its unsteady standing on the coverlet and flapped its wings soundlessly until it perched on his bedpost, yellow eyes studying him amusedly for a moment before it lowered its head and tucked a wing over it to sleep. Shrugging, Harry relaxed, nuzzling his face into the soft sheets and drifted back off to sleep. Maybe he should go to parties more often if they helped him sleep this well.

--

He woke up again an hour later by himself, looking around and wondering where all the heat went. Hearing the faucet running in the bathroom he guessed that his boyfriend had gotten thirsty and didn't want to go too far to get a proper glass of water. Not that he minded or anything.

Sitting up and tucking his legs under himself so he was sitting on his calves (so what if Daphne said it was feminine looking…it was comfortable!), he looked over his shoulder and saw that the owl was still there, physical proof that he hadn't been having a bizarre dream. As he watched, it lowered its wing and ruffled its feathers, head bobbing about until yellow eyes landed on him. It hooted, and Harry smiled uncertainly at it. "Did you want me to escort you back to the Owlery?"

"Who are you talking to?" Asmodeus asked, making him start. He kissed Harry's cheek, settling back on the bed and tugging the curtains closed so only a little light filtered in through the thinner fabric above them. He spied the owl and raised an eyebrow. "Leviathan, what the hell are _you _doing here?"

The owl seemed to shimmer and then morphed until a fair-haired and sleek young man with yellow eyes identical to the owl's appeared, seated precariously on the headboard. "I was sent to check up on you, and I really couldn't resist introducing myself to your little…friend."

"Did he touch you?" Asmodeus suddenly asked Harry, something fiery and alien in his eyes. Harry almost replied in the negative but remembered the hair stroking thing and nodded. Apparently that wasn't such a good idea because Asmodeus snarled and grabbed Leviathan (Harry was mentally going over how someone could confuse Leviathan with a Dragon, since he had a definite Arian look to him) by the neck, pulling him in until their noses were touching and enunciated carefully and clearly the words, "Touch him again and, damn the consequences, I will do to you everything that I have ever threatened you with."

"_All _of it?" There was a sly tilt to Leviathan's lips which made Harry send an accusing glare at the brunette when he realized what the other Demon meant. He should have expected Asmodeus to have at least one ex-partner, but he hadn't expected to meet them and was unprepared for the spike of jealousy he was feeling. He wanted to hurt this Demon in some way, or watch him be hurt. As if he had heard Harry's thoughts, the grip around the pale and pretty skin of Leviathan's neck tightened, a ring of purpling skin beginning to appear.

"I believe you know perfectly well why that aspect of our relationship is most certainly not going to be repeated." His lips were pulled back into a snarl, and his grip tightened further, the slender body jerking now and slim hands trying to pry the tightening finger off from around his neck until yellow eyes rolled back in their sockets and he collapsed on his back on the bed, the springs creaking from the force of it. Asmodeus looked at Harry and then brushed a hand along his cheek, scooting closer to examine him.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked, feeling a little insecure and somewhat frightened at the amount of strength his boyfriend had stored in his Human form, and the realization that a Demon had been observing him for god knows how long without him getting even a whisper of his presence from his mental sensors that he had built for that sort of thing.

He didn't answer for a moment; thumb sliding along his lower lip and the little dip above his upper one, eyes searching and body tensed.

"Where did he touch you?" the words were soft, but Harry knew that he couldn't choose not to answer the question.

"Just rested on my arm for a second when he sent him with a message to my guardians, and he was playing with my hair with his beak a little over an hour ago. Nothing to be worried about-"

"He could have poisoned you!" the sudden exclamation startled him and he accidentally bit Asmodeus' finger. There was surprised silence for a second before he started to laugh, skin crinkling around his yellow eyes. He did one last cursory check, and maybe spent more time than strictly necessary running his fingers through Harry's hair, but Harry didn't mind. He pronounced him poison free and absently waved his hand, making Leviathan's body disappear in a cloud of smoke before flopping on his back in the spot where the other demon had been, dragging Harry down with him so he was resting on his chest.

Unable to leave the thought alone, he casually asked how long it had been since he was involved with Leviathan. Asmodeus didn't seem to mind, fingers still carding through his hair as he made a thoughtful noise and seemed to be mentally calculating something.

"Well, we fooled around in Heaven once or twice and that was a big part of the reason we got kicked out, because he said there was somebody else in an attempt to make me jealous, but I didn't care and messed around with a different Angel who didn't get in trouble at the time. This pissed Lev off and he told on me, not that He didn't already know, and I got demoted to my current position. Lev apparently did some other shit to a lot of people, and made a lot of them very angry, one of whom was Satan by the way, and also got demoted. A couple thousand years went by without us talking or even looking at each other, and then he came onto me and acted all nice and friendly. I thought he had changed and I was very, very lonely. So we were involved for a couple hundred years, but then I found out that he was doing some more stuff behind my back, so I left him. I have only seen him in mandatory meetings since then."

He paused to kiss Harry lightly on the mouth. "There has been no one else, even though I have pretended that there was because it is technically my job to be a promiscuous bastard." Harry laughed, clapping a hand over his mouth when he heard Vincent stir in his bed and mumble something that sounded like "what's so funny?"

Snickering quietly, he reached out to the nightstand and snagged a book now that there was enough natural light filtering in through the top for him to see. Curled up half against the headboard and half against his boyfriend, he whiled away the Sunday morning by getting in some neglected reading.

--

The office was dust free and there was a large mug of delicious-smelling tea on his desk with just the right amount of sugar added. John blinked and realized that his new assistant must have arrived to replace his former imbecilic one.

Seating himself and taking a cautious sip, he sighed and closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair. Now if only he could have a life manager of some kind who did similar work with his experiences and somehow got Rael to visit more often since he had been feeling a little lonely lately.

Curious to know what she looked like, he pressed the button on his desk and waited as he heard soft footsteps pad over, the door adjacent to his bookshelves opening silently on well-oiled hinges (funny, because it had had a horrible creak last time he checked, and so had his chair) to reveal a diminutive woman with dark red hair pulled back into a twist wearing a high-waisted black skirt and gray blouse with a black tie. On her nose were perched a pair of black-framed glasses that partially hid hazel eyes. "You rang, sir?"

"Ah, yes, that is to say-" _why the hell was he stuttering? _"I haven't gotten to meet you properly yet and I figured that I should."

She nodded politely and gave him a hint of a smile. "Very considerate of you sir to think of me like that; I am Darlene Gaunt and I will be your assistant until you see fit to dismiss me or you die of natural causes." Her voice was brisk and professional, which was very refreshing.

"Thank you, Miss. Gaunt. You are dismissed for now."

"As you wish, sir." She disappeared back into her office and he drank the rest of his tea deep in thought.

--

End chapter 73

Yeah, Darlene is a classic secretary name and I couldn't resist using it. Oh, and everybody please, please pray for Rokkis, who is very sick right now.

Love and peace!


	74. Chapter 74

A/N: sorry about the lack of a chapter yesterday. Got dragged to an Indian buffet and ate more than I ought to have, and my brain exploded after eating a few jalapenos without realizing it.

CHAPTER 74

The wind was cold as it rushed over the grounds, making the naked trees creak and rattle eerily. Daphne shivered and huddled closer to the warmth Millicent provided, as well as wind block due to her size. She was humming something that sounded vaguely familiar, but the noise was frequently lost in the rushing of the wind that blew up little drifts of stinging snow that was more ice than fluff. She lowered her face more into her school scarf, the top of her blond head the only thing identifying her.

By her side Harry was doing the same and wondering how Draco and the Durmstrang students tagging along to their class could stand the cold. His head hurt far worse right now than it did after he had drank an entire bottle of vodka by himself over a few hours, and awakened feeling like someone had magicked a volcano into his head and allowed it to explode. It wasn't one of his more pleasant memories, to say the least, but Asmodeus hadn't been there to see him drink out of loneliness.

Finally they passed through the heating bubble that was around the clearing for today's class, and Hagrid nodded to them as they were amongst the first students to arrive. Some 4th year Hufflepuffs sent Harry dirty, no doubt holding a grudge against him for winning the Second Task despite having supposedly entered the Tournament illegally.

Harry sneered at them uncharacteristically, folding his arms over his chest and darkening his eyes until they seemed to glow in his pale face. The Yellow House members shrank back and avoided eye contact with him for the rest of the class, and Harry knew they would spread stories about him later to their friends which would start new and annoying rumors. He couldn't bring himself to care at the moment, really, and Daphne's sniggers were a comfort as she draped herself over his arm because her boyfriend Ted wasn't there and she wanted affection and to steal Harry's body heat. He rolled his eyes and endured her proximity while mentally going over a run-in with Cho he had had in a corridor earlier in the week.

_If You Can't Tell It's A Flashback, Why Are You Even Here? No, Don't Leave!_

_He had been admiring the curve of a column that the Castle had produced, entirely absorbed in the swirls of Ward Runes along the base and climbing up it like vines when Cho materialized at his side without him having heard her approach. He jumped but grinned at her when she tapped his arm. She hadn't removed her hand from him after a few moments of silence that were quickly becoming awkward. _

"_Um…did you need something?" He asked, trying to be polite and mentally going over the mostly one-sided conversation he had had with Asmodeus last month about being a little too friendly and possibly leading her on by accident. _

"_Professor McGonagall wants to see you." She replied, brown eyes wide and clearly expressing that she didn't want to leave his side anytime soon. He smiled uncertainly and asked if she knew why. _

"_Something about an extra-curricular assignment you were working on. I think she wants to publish it." There was an excited look in her eyes, so Harry found it prudent to start leading them towards the hall that would take them to another one that would eventually allow them to reach her office. _

"_Really?"_

_Cho nodded, black hair floating about her face when a breeze came towards them in thick locks, Harry's bangs tickling the corners of his mouth. _

_Arriving at the office in silence, he nodded goodbye to her and was about to enter when she caught his sleeve. _

"_Yes?"_

"_Would you like to go with me to Hogsmeade this weekend?" _

"_Oh, um, I'm not sure if I'll have time to go. I will tell you if I am free to go in a few days, alright? Please don't be offended if I say no, though. It's not your fault that too many people have things for me to do."_

"_Alright; I, uh, I hope you're free." They stood there looking at each other for another moment in silence before Cho whispered, "Bye." She disappeared through a door that Harry knew would eventually take her to the library, which meant that he would be reading the books he had in his room tonight instead of trying to sneak past her in the massive school library. _

That had been on Tuesday. It was now Friday, and he knew for sure that he was available but wasn't sure that he didn't want to make some kind of distraction or chore for himself. But he could never do that to her, because she would probably cry and the few times Pansy had sobbed on him and of course the one time with Millicent years ago had taught him that an emotional female was not something he liked to be around frequently. Sighing, he tuned out Hagrid's rumbling voice and instead observed a tiny beetle crawling around on his boot. Weren't all the beetles dead this time of year? As he watched, it scurried under his laces when a gust of wind somehow made its way through the bubble to chill the students to the bone. Even the half-giant gave a shudder and then cleared his throat to regain the wandering attention of his students, continuing his speech on the various protective qualities the Ashwinder's eggs could give when used in Potions.

Harry smiled at the angrily hissing snakes, remembering an incident in which he had been passing by the lake and Hedwig and appeared out of nowhere and sprayed him with freezing water. Thank god he had been alone, or else some questions would have been raised about when a very large and very dangerous Basilisk had decided to live in their Lake.

The class ended with a loud dismissive clap of Hagrid's calloused palms, and Harry hesitated to leave, waving on his friends and approaching the temperamental Ashwinder with marked curiosity, a friendly but respectful look carefully arranged on his face so the snake wouldn't feel too threatened.

Black eyes fastened on it and it stopped hissing while moving its neck so it stretched out and was very close to the glass of the container it was in.

"Hello." Harry hissed quietly in Parseltongue, mindful of the suspicious Hagrid who had tying the same rope around his packet of books repeatedly in a marked attempt to look busy and hide that he was eavesdropping. Or trying to, at least, since it was very obvious to the few students still chatting that something was up with their Professor.

"Hello yourself." The Ashwinder hissed back with a smart look on it's face. Harry was not amused at the cheeky tone. "I'm Harry, and I really couldn't resist coming over here to say 'hi' because you have a fascinating range of colors on your scales."

The compliment pleased it and it noticeably preened, tongue flicking the air and a little puff of smoke came out of its nostrils. Harry remembered that he had forgotten to feed his miniature Dragon and gasped. The snake mistook it for awe and hissed that it liked Harry and that he should come visit it later when he didn't smell like urgency. Glad that it understood, he waved bye to it as he carefully left the clearing, sprinting to the Castle when he was out of sight of the Professor.

Skidding into his dorm after hurriedly telling Draco that he would be right down so they could do an inventory of the other students who weren't going to see if they needed anything and to find the foreign students who wanted to go but were required to have a Hogwarts student to show them around the first time so they wouldn't get lost or disoriented, he reached his bed and yanked back the curtains. His pet looked up forlornly, looking very hungry and, from the sharp bite marks on his pillow case, she had gotten desperate.

"I am _so _sorry, Claudia!" He whispered, gently extending his arms with his hands cupped together in a little platform for her to stand on. She crawled onto his warm hands and weakly shot a little puff of smoke towards his head and he raised his hands so she could crawl onto his neck, claws prickling his skin and making him restrain squirms as he felt her scales brushing against his neck before she settled herself down and began to make a nest out of his hair, pulling at it affectionately as he walked down the steps that led up to the dormitory to take her to the kitchens so she could have a wider selection of food to make it up to her.

Draco did a double-take when he saw the reptile, but grinned when he saw that it had begun to chew on Harry's hair with evident pleasure.

"Um, Harry, you do know that Claudia is eating your hair, right?"

Harry froze. Then he ever so slowly turned his head so he could glare at Claudia out of the corner of his eye. "Clo, we have talked about this. I know you are hungry, and I am moving as fast as I can without hurting you so you can get some food, but this is just uncalled for. Please take your jaws off of my hair now."

She made a sad noise and a whistling noise signified an oncoming cloud of smoke. He managed to turn his head in time without displacing her, a large cloud of the grey substance choking some nearby second-years.

"Sorry 'bout that." He said to them, exiting the Common Room with Draco following for the sake of getting some free entertainment.

--

The blackness surrounding Ingrid faded away to reveal her flat on her back at work surrounded by the wary faces of her co-workers. One of the bolder ones asked, "Where were you, ma'am?"

"What are you talking about, you silly girl?" Ingrid snapped, waving off the helping hands and standing by her own power and looking disgustedly down at her stained dress. Now if only she could remember how that had happened.

"You've been missing for months, ma'am. They haven't been able to find anybody else to do your job right, so it is still an open offer for you even though you just biffed off like that without telling us where the hell you were."

The word 'hell' stirred up some fuzzy memories and she began to recall a pair of yellow eyes narrowed in concentration as he tinkered with her…mind? She had been strapped to a cold table and there had been yellow eyes and green eyes and soft hands smoothing her hair and dark skin blending with a black cloak, green eyes like twin stars of glory looking at her with marked interest. He hadn't touched her, only looked as the one with yellow eyes pulled some threads of memory out of her mind and-

The barrage of memories ceased abruptly, a sharp spike of pain lancing through her entire nervous system and leaving her with a powerful migraine. She cursed, something that her co-workers had never heard her do, and clutched at it, trying to make the pain go away and return to the memories, since her intuition was telling her that where she had been was hidden in them, and if she just tried hard enough she could-

Could what? She suddenly had no idea why she was even bothering with something that was obviously painful.

"Get back to work, all of you!" She snapped, eyes blazing as she stalked out just a little unsteadily, normally gleaming pumps covered with a thin layer of rust-colored powder. Powder that smelled very much like blood.

--

Bill was minding his own business, reading a book that hadn't been at the Castle when he had attended (not like he had spent overmuch time amongst the books anyway) on a Dragon breed his brother had mentioned might have properties in it's scales that could be helpful in sensing and bypassing wards.

Most of the students were in Hogsmeade, and the few that weren't hadn't decided to spend their weekend studying. This meant that he had the whole place to himself, and could hear every little creaking and rustling noise that all aging books make when they've been on a shelf too long, and it was breaking his concentration.

He had been reading the same page for the past half hour, and finally he conceded that he really wasn't in the mood to read right now. And he was kind of hungry.

Standing up, he took the book to where Madam Pince was poring over a dictionary and a tiny book with print so small he no longer questioned the massive magnifying glass she had beside her. She scowled when she saw him, but took the book from him and stamped the card neatly before scribbling down the date.

He picked it up when she made no move to hand it to him, rolling his eyes when she could no longer see him. Women were something else, that was for sure.

A student wearing the yellow crest of Hufflepuff House on his blazer brushed absently past him to enter the library, meeting his gaze for a second. A second was all it took, though, and Bill knew that his hunger could wait if he could get a chance to take a peek at the Yellow cutie. Why wasn't anybody this attractive when he had attended Hogwarts? Well, Lucius had been, but it wasn't like they had been serious about each other or anything.

--

End chapter 74

The Bill cameo and back story was for you, Shinigami Shadow. Finally I have gotten around to it.


	75. Chapter 75

CHAPTER 75

Spring was upon them now, and Edmund was sitting on the front steps of the Castle and sketching while a few younger Beauxbatons boys either watched or did the same. He was doing a collection of portraits of certain trees in different weather, and the copse of birch trees covered with the caterpillar-like green things that preceded the silvery leaves was swaying the least so he had decided to work on that one today. Adding one more stroke of his paintbrush to the base of the tree and a splash of light to one of the roots, he signed his name and whispered a drying charm, using the minute it took to take effect to pack his things up. Waving good bye to his companions, he entered the Castle and headed for his dorms, mind still going over the delicate beauty of trees on the brink of bursting into bloom and how green the grass was on the hills where it blended with the sky.

Consequently, he did not see the tall redhead who was on the staff of those organizing the Tasks (as he had learned a few months ago after running into him in the library) coming towards him with his face buried in a thick tome, also paying far less attention to his surroundings than was wise.

They collided violently and Edmund's skull impacted sharply with the slate floor with a sharp crack, the pages of his art book making a whispering noise as it slid across the stone to rest against the wall in a wrinkled mess. Not that its owner noticed, too busy trying to make the stars in his eyes go away by blinking. Bill wasn't faring much better, his page in the book long lost by now and his hair had conveniently landed in a small patch of dirt that Filch hadn't mopped up just yet. Groaning when he felt a large bruise forming at the back of his head, he gently prodded it to see how big and how bad, also running his fingers through his hair to work out the tangles and picking out the dirt. Realizing with a start that he must have bumped into something to have landed on his back like that.

Sitting up and looking around, he spied an art book splayed open a few feet away, a depiction of the Whomping Willow in full bloom covering the page. It was very well done but he was distracted from his plans to look at the rest of the book by whimper a few feet in front of himself. The Hufflepuff he had introduced himself to a while ago but lost in the sea of other students was lying on his back and blinking very hard. He wasn't bleeding or holding any of his limbs at odd angles, but Bill was worried nonetheless and crawled forward to carefully wave a hand in front of the boy's face. Edmund stopped blinking and glared at him.

"Why don't you watch where you're going?!" He snapped, and Bill got the distinct impression that this kid wasn't one who got upset often, and therefore he had messed up bad.

"Same to you!" He snapped back, feeling a little self-righteous. His eyes fell on the art book again and he carefully reached for it while the boy was brushing down his clothes and took the time to glance at a few more drawings before smoothing the pages and handing it along with the small box of paints and a brush or two to the brunette.

"Thank you." He muttered, moving to stand up and tucking his things under his arm.

Bill did the same, fingers closing over the binding of his book and smoothing it before flipping through the chapters to find the one he had been working on. He might as well re-read the whole thing…

"What are you reading?" Edmund sounded like his usual shy self now, one hand fiddling with a piece of his fringe that had fallen into his eyes, repeatedly smoothing it and tucking it behind his ear. Bill got distracted and reached out, smoothing the hair away so it stayed that way without realizing what he was doing at first. Edmund went a little red and looked away, hugging his book to his thin chest defensively.

Remembering the question, Bill showed him the cover, which sported a large gilded depiction of a Dragon spewing flames at the reader under the words 'Dragons: Beauty or Beast?'

"You like Dragons?" Edmund asked, toeing the ground with one foot.

"Well, I'm not an enthusiast like my brother Charlie, who tames them, but he said they produce a lot of chemical substances that may or may not have been used in ancient warding, since there are a lot of paintings and statuettes of them in front of gates that are sealed." Edmund nodded.

"That seems likely. Dragons are…something else."

"So, did you draw the stuff in that book?" he asked, gesturing to it and trying to look casual. He could use somebody to draw runes…

--

Slicing the tip of his finger with his scalpel in Potions, Harry hissed and put it in his mouth, accidentally sucking on some of the Asphodel root that he had been preparing. His tongue began to sting and he got a few cold sores despite gulping some water from his bag. Professor Snape was now looming next to him, lecturing the class on what to do should you injure yourself while constructing a Potion with toxic ingredients.

It was very embarrassing and Harry snickered outside of class when Draco began to mimic him. Unfortunately, their Head of House happened to be behind them instead of in his classroom like they had assumed, and they were both given detention. Well, once the Gryffindors were out of earshot he gave them ones. And a smack on the back of the head with a textbook before stalking back into his classroom and slamming the door behind him. They could have sworn they heard him laughing in there, but brushed the thought off as it was a little too disturbing to think about when alone in a corridor but for each other as all the other students had headed to their next classes.

--

This would explain why they were spending their Saturday evening scrubbing cauldrons after a long and tiring day showing foreigners around Hogsmeade and carrying multiple cumbersome packages containing things purchased in Knockturn Alley and the shadier areas of Muggle London back to the Castle.

"I hate cleaning…" Draco muttered, stacking his 11th cauldron on top of the precarious stack they had formed on the storage floor room between them. Harry nodded, dipping his rag into the bucket of water charmed to stay clean and sudsy and squeezing out the excess water. He finished his 14th in record time and did the last one with a certain relish and began to organize them on the shelves according to size and material while Draco dried them with the flowered dishtowel that the House Elves had been more than happy to donate them.

--

End chapter 75

Le gasp! It's a chapter! So…that means review, honeys.


	76. Chapter 76

CHAPTER 76

He was just reaching for the button, pen clutched in one hand and poised over a document, when the door opened and Darlene came in with a mug of steaming coffee that she set in the corner of his desk. She silently disappeared back into her office and John eyed the coffee for a moment to see if it was a mirage. It stayed put, so he reached out to pick it up but burned his fingers with a yelp.

Metatron had contacted him yesterday with a stack of lists of names and locations that needed surveillance, and then gone into Darlene's office to talk to her about something or other. Although, judging from the muffled thumps and faint shouts, they didn't have the best working relationship. Having seen his secretary 'forcibly dismissing' some unruly people who wanted to complain about the visiting hours to a family member of theirs, who was in a critical condition, he felt that getting on her bad side was not something you survived from. Or if you did, she was just lulling you into a false sense of security and then one night you'll wake up and see her standing there with a gleaming and razor sharp-

He cut off his train of thoughts and swigged some coffee. Having finished his paperwork, he dug into his breast pocket until he removed the key to the lowest drawer in his desk that was also warded against foreign entrance in his absence and stuck it in the lock. Removing the false bottom and pulling out the things which the Voice had given him, he perused the names casually and choked on his coffee a little when he saw the name of that hare-brained but conniving tracker they had hired to kill off James Potter. Tapping the name with his wand, he watched as a thick folder filled with different types of documents on her appeared. Seeing her birth certificate, he raised his eyebrows when he saw how old the paper was and the traditional line drawings around the edges. Looking at the date made he nearly drop his wand, but he clenched his fingers and began testing the paper for forgery and doing several dating charms. It was genuine, and Magdalena Julia Dahl had in fact been born on July 3rd, 1832.

He moved to set down his empty coffee cup just as Darlene opened the door to her office and snatched it from him before he could, placing his lunch on the table instead along with a bottle of mineral water.

"Thank-" The door to her office closed "you."

--

In a newly discovered sunny spot very close to a heating vent, Harry was sprawled on his stomach, a thick dictionary spread out in front of him on rare Potions ingredients that he was reading intently. Asmodeus had his head resting on Harry's lower back, tracing his fingers along Harry's still-visible ribs casually, and yellow eyes stared into the sunlight without squinting or getting spots in them.

The library was very quiet and very still because it was early Sunday morning, so Harry considered it okay to raise his legs and swing them across his boyfriend's line of sight playfully until the brunette made a grab for his calf and squeezed it lightly so he wouldn't bruise him by accident. Harry laughed, being ticklish there, and began to wriggle in an attempt to rescue his leg from Asmodeus' probing fingers that seemed to be finding all the most sensitive spots.

"Haha, stop! Ahh!" he squealed when he was suddenly flipped on his back and the Demon viciously attacked his ribs and stomach, now kneeling over him with a leg on either side of the boy's thin hips that were jutting over the top of his denims and could be plainly seen since his shirt had ridden up in the process of being maneuvered into a more vulnerable position.

The fingers stilled when Harry accidentally kicked him in the thigh, but didn't remove themselves. Instead, they moved upwards and fiddled with his hair, alternately tugging and twirling the locks and Asmodeus leaned downwards until their noses touched. Harry tried to move their faces and mouth closer together but his boyfriend stubbornly retained the distance, eyes never blinking and forcing Harry's to remain wide.

Then he moved in, eyes still open, and kissed him very lightly on the chin. He moved to his mouth and had just touched their lips together when Bill rounded the corner, a small pile of books floating behind him. He stared as the two kissed each other steadily for a few minutes straight, apparently not feeling the need to breathe or separate for more than a second to change the angle. Harry's eyes had closed and he had both arms around the neck of the man (?) he recognized as the one who had slugged him that summer, and from the way Harry wasn't protesting or showing any signs of inexperience, they had been together for quite some time. He felt like he really shouldn't be watching what was obviously a private moment, but wasn't sure how to leave. Or stop looking at them, for that matter.

Maybe ten minutes later when Harry's hair was a mass of tangled curls and Asmodeus' wasn't faring much better, they broke apart and Bill saw this as the appropriate moment to slink away, entirely unaware that both of them had known he was there the entire time.

When Bill was far enough away, Harry snickered and buried his face in Asmodeus' neck, who had shifted himself to lie next to him with his back to the wall and at an angle where he could see most of Harry without craning his neck. He kissed Harry's hair and grinned, having thoroughly enjoyed screwing with the redhead's mind.

--

A peacock squawked at him for daring to trespass, and Mammon sneered disdainfully at it, resisting the desire to kick it. Leviathan showed no such self-control and practically punted the bird over the hedge framing the rose garden. Or at least it was a rose garden when it was in bloom, and could be enjoyed on days when it wasn't pouring rain and soaking his gray suit. His once-gleaming dress shoes sloshed in the puddles that had formed on the long gravel drive that lead to the Manor itself, curving into a graceful circle with a fountain in the center. It was all very tasteful and high-class, and Mammon allowed himself to appreciate the delicate stone carvings of various magical birds along the steps while they ascended them. The blond reached the top first and found the bell with no difficulty despite it being his first time here.

They could feel the vibrations of the bell inside activating beneath their feet and exchanged raised eyebrows, Levi's lips raised into a sort of partial smile that one gave when they were very happy but not the sort of person who felt the need to shout it to the world. Mammon gave him one of his charming smiles that had convinced far too many of the elite to sign away their lives and happiness, reaching out to brush a wet bit of fringe from the blonde's yellow eyes covered with hazel contacts. The smile curved a little higher and Leviathan managed to kiss his fingers before he withdrew them, in plain view of the diminutive House Elf that had opened the door, dressed in an old but neatly ironed pillow case that reached her feet.

"Come this way, sirs." She squeaked out, giving them a brief bow each and about-facing to head to the arched doorway that led to a staircase made in mahogany and carpeted with blue velvet. They followed her through a maze of halls and passed many frowning or sneering paintings broken only by a few salaciously grinning ones. They made sure to grin back just as lustfully to be polite.

Coming to a halt in front of a door as elaborately carved as the others they had seen, she raised a small hand to rap sharply.

"Come in." A female voice rang out, ringing with the elongated vowels of a woman of class. The House Elf bowed to them before disappearing with a crack, and Mammon pushed the door open, almost hesitating to touch the gleaming bronze handle with the Malfoy Family Crest stamped into it. Entering an airy room decorated in soft blues, greens and pinks with white wood flooring (a child's play room, they could tell) that would have probably been quite cheery if the row of long windows with delicate embroidered curtains didn't reveal grey skies and streaked glass arranged in shapes, some forming wildlife and others flowers with touches of color interspersed.

On the window seat sat Narcissa Malfoy, looking healthier and saner than she had in a long time and on her lap was her daughter Colette, looking like she had a fever from the way her head was tossing from side to side. Leviathan rushed over immediately, bypassing the doll carelessly tossed on the floor while Mammon silently closed the door behind himself and reached into his pocket for some of the vials that he and the blonde would need to keep the little girl alive.

--

End chapter 76

You people had better have liked it! There were Demons, boys kissing, and even a little mystery coupled with black magic!


	77. Chapter 77

A/N: In real life, talking nice to your plants and stroking them makes them grow faster and healthier. It's a fact, or else my bamboo would have died off years ago because it hasn't seen a lick of sunlight since I bought it 4 years ago. It also might have something to do with the long-life charms I've made for it…

CHAPTER 77

The past months had passed without event, although Harry had had the distinct feeling that he was being watched, but whoever it was always left before he could identify them. Since no one had stabbed him in the back with a steak knife so far, he was willing to ignore whoever it was and only keep his sensors open to bad intentions when he noticed that his shadow had returned. Dumbledore had been leaving him alone lately, and he seemed content to try and pump his friends for information. Thank god he was in Slytherin, or else Dumbledore just might have discovered the book-thieving culprit.

Since the sun was warm and he had a mild case of the chills thanks to accidentally falling asleep on the grass close to sundown and awaking covered in dew several hours later, Harry had elected to take a leisurely stroll around the grounds. The Third Task was in a week, and he could guess that it involved the enormous maze growing in the Quidditch Pitch that was already towering over even Hagrid's bushy head. Deciding to poke around and see if he could get some idea of how it was set up, he slipped past the shoddy security wards (wards that weak were just _asking _to be broken) and approached the leafy mass. Running his fingers along a waxy leaf after seeing if anyone was there to see him, he politely introduced himself to the plant in case it had a consciousness, asking how it was and who had taken such pains to make it so beautiful.

A vine snaked out from the inside of the maze and tugged on a thin braid tied with a black ribbon that Pansy had dared him to wear all day. It tugged on the ribbon, seeming to want it. Since he was always one to please (yeah right), he untied it from his hair and held it out, staring when another vine joined the previous one and they played a brief tug of war with each other over the gleaming strip of satin. The newer vine won and gave a little victorious twirl with its stalk before vanishing with a brief rustling into the complex. The other vine, which had seemed to be watching the other one go, turned back to him with its leaves no longer shining and seeming a little withered. Thanking the deities that be for Pansy's scatter-brained tendencies, he removed a bright pink ribbon from his pocket where she had stuck it earlier while trying to find a flattering _color _to have him wear and offered it meekly to the depressed plant, wondering when he was going to wake up and discover that his subconscious was playing tricks with him. It perked up and delicately removed it from his fingers, swaying in an invisible breeze and stretching out one of its branches to brush his cheek before it also vanished into the mass of greenery.

Shrugging, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and pulled out his cigarettes and a match since he had misplaced his lighter, moving a safe distance away from the Maze, which probably wouldn't appreciate the threat of being set on fire very much, and lit one. Putting away his pack and shaking the match until the flame dissolved into sullen smoke, he tossed the harmless stick on the grass and wandered around the edges of the maze, still retaining his previous distance to be courteous. Judging from the swiftness the vines moved, making them angry would not be conducive to a successful end of the Third Task. He was so occupied with looking at the maze that he didn't notice Alastor Moody until he felt his breath ruffling the top of his head. Inwardly cringing since it was a personal blow to his pride every time he was caught doing something 'naughty', he gave the Ex-Auror the most innocent grin his Dark Arts experience would allow him.

Alastor glared, and Dmitry Ermingilde came sprinting over from some unknown point a few seconds later. A little dirt got into Harry's shoes when the Professor skidded to a stop, making him sneer at the man. He was already in trouble, so he was going to sneer if he wanted, respect to elders be damned!

"Well, well, well! What do we have here, eh?"

"A rogue student, sir." Harry replied, looking at his fingernails and buffing them against his sweatshirt when he spied some dirt on them. The dirt left two streaks across the navy of his jacket, which he ignored in favor of staring off into the distance with a misty look on his face that he knew unnerved people who didn't know him very well. Alastor cleared his throat and straightened as best as he could on his false leg, saying, "Then you know that I am going to have to escort you to the Headmaster's office, don't you?"

"Of course…and we would already be there by now if you weren't too busy dawdling." Harry snapped, glaring at him and abruptly stalking off towards the Castle with the two DADA professors following closely, unaware that a vine had snaked out of nowhere and tied their hair together with a pink ribbon until they tried to walk a little farther apart.

"Ow!"

"Goddammit!"

Harry turned his head to see what was going on and snickered when he saw the tangled knot of mixed hair firmly secured with Pansy's pink ribbon tying the two men together. It would appear that the maze at least liked him enough to side with him once.

--

Bill sat down beside Edmund in the kitchens, bracing his back against the wall as he peered over the teen's shoulder to see what he was sketching, taking a swig of his Butter Beer and hoping that the Hufflepuff wouldn't ask him to move. He didn't think it was cologne, but the brunette smelled _amazing _and he was partially using his curiosity as an excuse to lean closer and hopefully catch another whiff of it…whatever it was.

Edmund glanced up from his steady movements and smiled at him, effectively making Bill's brain turn to happy mush. He smiled weakly back while trying to remember how to speak.

--

End chapter 77

I know it is a little shorter than usual, and I am sorry! (bows) please review anyway? Pretty please?

Oh, and thank you to the reviewer who gave me some constructive criticism. I needed to hear that.


	78. Chapter 78

A/N: "Angels" by the Romanian band Morandi is worth a listen 

CHAPTER 78

Harry awoke groggily at 3 a.m., an hour after he had finally fallen asleep. Looking around for what had awakened him, he jumped when he saw Leviathan standing at the foot of his bed, the curtains parted around his head and hands.

"Hi." The blonde greeted, eyes a bright speck of color in the dark room. Harry was floored for a moment, having no idea what the Demon of Envy wanted or how he had even got into his room, and then quietly greeted, "Hello."

They stared at each other.

"So, uh, the Third Task is today. Are you nervous?"

"A little; I was trying to get as much sleep as I could before hand, and you seem to have ruined my chances at that."

Levi cringed and then, with a surreptitious glance to both sides and over his shoulder, he crawled into bed with him, careful to stay on the side of the bed that Asmodeus wasn't sprawled over, his face nestled between Harry's jutting shoulder blades and his shoulders rising and falling in the deep breaths one takes while very much asleep.

"Listen, kid, I think there are some things you should know about Asmodeus and I-"

"You were lovers." Harry deadpanned, eyes glittering just a little more than could be attributed to the lighting that came from the Demon's slanted eyes. They were very pretty eyes, and shaped differently than Asmodeus', whose eyes were larger than normal and rimmed with a layer of something the color of smoke, which made him look like he had dark circles even though the gray blended with his eyelids and around the rims of his eyes.

"He told you?!" Leviathan hissed, looking stunned. Harry nodded and the Demon sat back on his calves instead of bracing himself on his hands and knees like he had previously. "Wow. He must really trust you, because not even Lucifer knows about it and they have been close friends since they were created. Sure, that relationship changed into a more formal one after the Fall, but still…" He trailed off, perhaps unconsciously worrying his lower lip between his teeth.

Harry felt a sort of floating sensation in his chest and grinned into the darkness, turning his head to peer at the thick brown hair that concealed his boyfriend's face from direct view. He could have sworn he saw a slit of glowing yellow, but passed it off as his imagination.

"So, you came here to try and tear us apart by giving me all the sordid details of your affair with my boyfriend?"

Levi had the decency to blush, before saying almost too quickly to understand, "I just really miss him is all, and wanted to-wanted to-"

"Wanted to what?" Harry asked, gently laying his hand on the blonde's arm. His shoulders were shaking, and, despite his exhaustion, Harry was determined to comfort the man before he did something rash.

"Wanted to say I was sorry." He whispered, eyes avoiding Harry's, but not able to hide the sheen to them. Harry mentally went over the pros and cons of doing so before gathering the man as best as he was able into his arms and settling back down on the covers, Leviathan's face nestled against his shoulder as he shook with restrained emotion. Asmodeus made a noise in his sleep and slung an arm over the two of them, pushing his face deeper into the folds of the sheets that had formed in his shifting.

Somehow when he woke up again 2 hours later, his leg had ended up between Harry's much thinner ones and didn't looking like it was going anywhere anytime soon from the possessive way his other foot was wrapped around his. Rolling his eyes, Harry patted Levi's arm lightly to see if he was awake, rewarded by sleepy shifting and a mumbled, "Go back to sleep, silly." And in case he had any intention of having a peaceful shower alone and before his room mates even began to consider getting out of bed, Levi wrapped both of his arms around Harry, one by his shoulders and the other around his slowly thickening waist (most of which was due to his House mates following him around and forcing him to eat more than coffee, which was quite enough nourishment, Harry thought) tightly. He rested his head on top of Harry's curls and drifted back into Morpheus's realm without so much as a by-your-leave.

Harry scowled, but resigned himself to being sandwiched between two very pushy and sleepy Demons reluctantly. It wasn't like there were classes he had to be at early or anything. His eyes slipped closed and he slowly fell back asleep, strange dreams and half-there images appearing and disappearing beneath his eyelids stained purple from lack of sleep.

--

He woke up an hour before the Task itself, eyes looking around wildly as he tried to make sense of why he was still in bed and not in the tent where he was supposed to be two hours ago, showered and wearing the gaudy uniform some crazed seamstress had designed for him and Cedric. Finding his movements restricted, he noticed the two sets of arms securely wrapped around his midsection and blushed when he realized that one of Asmodeus' legs had made its way between his and was rubbing his inner thighs, which were bare from his sleep shorts riding him, languorously. And from the smirk he could feel at the nape of his neck, Asmodeus knew damn well what he was doing to his sanity. Knowing that if he didn't get away now, he wouldn't be released from the Demon's clutches for the next several hours, he hissed threateningly and tried to wriggle away. This only increased his proximity to Levi, whom Asmodeus had noticed and not protested about (which was odd) , and apparently the blond was the cuddly type because he shifted towards Harry, sheets and coverlet rustling as he moved so he could rub his cheek against Harry's.

Refusing to be won over like this, no matter how comfortable and warm the bed was with an extra person in it, he carefully removed two of the arms holding him down and sat up, reaching over Asmodeus, who had moved downwards to nuzzle his hip (now he was _really _tempted to stay longer…just five more minutes would be okay, right?), to take a sip of the glass of water he kept on his bedside table, draining it slowly after several more sips. Moving so he was on his hands and knees, he fought off all attempts to pull him back until he made it to the slate floor covered in thick carpets thanks to Draco being picky about that sort of thing. Grabbing some the uniform and his toiletries, he rushed into the loo and showered as fast as he was able while being thorough, emerging 15 minutes later with hair dripping down his neck and snatching his wand out from under the pillow Leviathan had commandeered (not that he blamed him, since it was the most comfortable pillow Harry had ever had the pleasure to sleep on) and then sprinting out the door.

He was halfway to the tent when a puff of smoke at his side revealed Asmodeus, who dragged him into a small copse of convenient trees. "What the hel-"

Asmodeus kissed him hard, tongue sliding across his and pressing him against the side of a gleaming birch tree's trunk, making sure that Harry knew just who would be waiting for him when he came back. He pulled away what felt like hours later, smoothing a hand along the side of his face with gentle concern. Breathless and a little red in the face, Harry stood on his toes to peck his lips one last time before making to leave so they wouldn't yell at him too much when he finally got there. A firm grasp on his arm made him pause and turn to ask what was going on. Instead of answering the unspoken question, Asmodeus picked a piece of bark that had gotten tangled in his drying hair out. Harry grinned at him, touching his cheek and then sprinting off before his boyfriend could find anymore excuses to keep him away from the trial that awaited him at the Quidditch Pitch.

--

After a thorough scolding from the judges for being so belligerent about the competition and daring to be late, although it didn't look like he had missed anything important, he joined the other 3 Champions on the uncomfortable and armless wooden chairs to hear just what the Task was.

Harry wasn't really paying attention, brain not functioning like it usually did thanks to the attentions of a certain Demon, but he caught the part about having to go first because he was in the lead. His groan of "God, why me?!" was _not _appreciated.

A cacophony of noise that could only be produced from a group of teenagers forced into playing instruments in front of a crowd of their peers sounded, and it was the signal of some kind meant to show that the Task was about to begin. Being shoved out of the tent, Harry stumbled into view and glared when a few of his friends catcalled amongst the cheers and shouted about how much they loved his new fashion statement. If the press weren't there he would have succumbed to his early Muggle childhood and flipped them off.

Bullied over to an opening in the maze by a cheerfully smiling Dumbledore, he readied himself and nodded to Cedric while waiting for the cannon from Mr. Filch that would tell him to take off.

It sounded and he was out of sight in the blink of an eye, profoundly happy for all the time he had spent sprinting away from fanatical friends hell bent of feeding him.

--

He had been in the maze for about 15 minutes, having slowed to a jog a few minutes after entering because he needed to conserve his strength for running away from any stray Blast-Ended Skrewts that might decide that they want Barbecued Student for dinner, when he encountered a vine that looked rather like the one he had run into a little while ago. Judging from the black ribbon tied into a bow around its stem towards the top, he could guess that it had won the fight with its companion at a later date. He paused to stroke its leaves and tell it that the ribbon really suited it, and would have stayed longer if a Sphinx hadn't loped into view and headed straight for him.

Swallowing, he backed slowly away, the vine following and tugging on his hair to recapture his attention. Harry blinked when the walls parted for him and closed right behind him before the Sphinx could follow. He looked at the vine with new eyes, and decided to risk it and ask, "So, you seen any shiny trophies floating around in here?"

It bobbed up and down and several walls in quick succession led straight in some kind of shortcut, because at the very end and through the fog that had settled over everything from the darkening sky above their heads.

"Thank you _so _much!" He gave it several extra strokes and it curled itself around his arm, seeming to have an endless amount of leafy coils as he walked down the shortcut, keeping his eyes open for any adversaries as he went. A close call with a rogue Dementor (why did he get the feeling that it wasn't supposed to be in there?) left him winded and a little scared, because he wasn't sure who he had heard screaming in his head. The voice of whomever it was sounded female, but the sound of it was lower than Fleur's, so it couldn't be her. Suddenly he did hear the blonde scream, and it sounded close by. Deciding to investigate, he changed direction and headed towards where he had heard it, eventually stumbling across her face-down in the dirt. Sinking to his knees, he carefully touched her back where the fabric looked to be stained a darker color. His hand came away wet with something sticky and warm, and he swallowed. He really hoped it wasn't as bad as it looked when he raised his wand, shooting the signal of red sparks far into the sky so the medi-wizards could tend to her. Smoothing her hair with his hand that didn't have blood on it, he saw her eyes slit open from under her fringe. Realizing that she was mouthing words, he leaned in as close as he could without suffocating her and made out the words, "Viktor is possessed by something…please stop him before whatever it is inside of him gets to Cedric too."

He nodded, and hearing the mediwizards approaching he stood and moved back into the shrubbery, which parted for him. Asking the vine where a tall one with dark hair like his was, he was led down a new tunnel to where Cedric and Viktor were exchanging spells, the sandy-haired boy backed into a dead end while the older one approached with a deadly menace that Harry had never seen him display before.

Shouting out a battle cry that he knew would distract whoever it was controlling his friend, he rushed him and darted to the side at the last minute when he fired off a Cruciatus. Ducking two more that sounded like variations on the Blasting spell, he smashed his fist into Viktor's lower back. Successfully winding him, he gestured to Cedric so he could help him tackle him, seating himself on his chest to hold him down while pressing his hands on either side of Krum's face. Forcing his magic to cooperate with him, he created a sort of tidal wave to push whoever the intruder was out.

It worked after several tries, but Viktor was now unconscious. Sending up the sparks, he accepted Cedric's hand and allowed him to pull him to his feet. Asking the vine for directions politely, he followed the path, grinning at Cedric when he stared at the vine around his arm like it was some kind of deity. It snaked out a coil and pushed his mouth closed.

"Come on, Cedric! We can get this over with and get out of this place." Harry's eyes were bright and Cedric found himself unable to resist when a smaller hand closed around his and led him down the green passage, a beacon of something shining at the end of it. They were almost there when a Blast-Ended Skrewt came barreling out of nowhere and head-butted them to the ground, Harry's head impacting with a rock jutting out of the ground. A trickle of blood began to seep out of where his skin had torn, and he scrambled to his knees as fast as he was able to see what was going on with Cedric. The Skrewt didn't seem to be coming back, so he shook Cedric's arm from where he had sprawled on the grass of the maze, vines snaking out from under the bushes and curiously prodding the two of them. Checking his arm, Harry noted that the vine had been joined by several others, all of which looked quite comfortable and not at all like they wanted to move. They were getting kind of heavy, actually.

Cedric got to his feet unsteadily, and together they stumbled like drunks to the trophy. When neither of them made any move to claim it, Harry looked at the Hufflepuff and crossed his arms.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean when are you going to grab the trophy so we can all go home and forget about all this crap once and for all?"

"Um, you kind of deserve it more than I do."

"What the hell are you talking about? I don't even _want _to be here. You of all people should have known that."

"I still don't feel right about taking it. How about we share it? We are from the same school, right? So…we could both grab it at the same time and split the money."

Harry blinked. He had forgotten about the money. "In that case, on three?"

"Okay."

"One."

"Two"

"Three!" They both grabbed onto it, and Harry suddenly got a sinking feeling in his stomach when he felt the vines wrenched from him, cutting his arm in several places in the process, as they were whisked away by the Portkey.

Landing with a wet noise on a patch of mud in a cave of some kind, Harry stared down at himself in disgust, wincing when some of the mud entered the cuts on his arm, stinging him until his eyes pricked at the corners and he had to bite his tongue. Looking down at his limb which was now getting kind of numb, he blinked when he saw that the cuts were now oozing some kind of pale yellow puss and the flesh around it was veined and turning purple with all the blood rushing to it.

"Uh?" The only reply was a muffled groan from Cedric, who had had the misfortune to land on a bruise he had gotten from the charging Skrewt.

"Is this supposed to happen or…?" Cedric raised his face from where he had curled it into his arms and replied, "I don't think it is. Maybe something went wrong when they set the coordinates into the trophy and now we are in the middle of nowhere where we will-"

"Die a gruesome and bizarre death?"

"Exactly." Cedric grinned at him and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Oh, this is just _perfect."_

So much for having a nice hot shower after running around in some beast-infested maze.

--

Several hours passed in absolute boredom, neither of the boys quite feeling like talking and not daring to touch the trophy again for fear of what new horrors would await them at the next location.

Getting bored, Harry crawled out of the mud that seemed to be eroding the flesh of his arm and turning his blood into ice, even though the pain was preventing him from getting too bored. The uneven stone of the cave floor dug into his knees, but he ignored it in favor finding a nice patch of wall to lean against. Cedric looked up from where he was making swirls in the mud with the tip of a finger to raise an eyebrow.

"My back hurts."

"Ah." They had settled back into comfortable if painful silence when the thunking of booted feet approached them and a stooped figure appeared in the distance, lit only by a sliver of moonlight that shone through a crack in the vaulted 'ceiling' of the cave.

"Vladimir?" Harry asked, realizing that the stopping was so the Vampire wouldn't hit his head on the rocks above them.

"Harry?!"

--

End chapter 78

Hehe! Plot twists, peoples!

Oh, and now we are having a poll of utmost importance: should Cedric die somehow in the next chapter or should I save him for the even worse death he will have a couple months after this event? You can tell me your choice through either reviews or PMs. whichever is easier for you guys and I mean it when I say that all of you should vote. If possible, give your reasons for your decision.


	79. Chapter 79

A/N: The votes are in and Cedric gets the less-painful death. Yay.

CHAPTER 79

Vladimir had a sort of deer-in-the-headlights expression on his face, so Harry thought it safe to believe that he had the upper hand in surprise. Maybe he could find out what he was doing in this god-forsaken (and unpleasantly damp with who knows what) cave.

"Well, fancy seeing you here!" He grinned, carefully maneuvering his swollen arm behind him so he wouldn't have the whole 'protective parent figure' experience in front of a peer.

"Um, yeah. Aren't you supposed to be at school? Participating in that damned Tournament to be specific."

Harry hoisted the shimmering trophy out of the mire after being sure that his hands were covered with the fabric of his cloak. "Been there, done that."

"I can see that now. Is this some sort of…4th Task?"

"No idea. Nothing has come out and attacked us yet, so if this is one it is a test of guts and patience. We've been here for hours, and the smell is starting to bother me." Harry confessed, sniffling a little.

"That would be because the smell is a toxic side effect from the stuff you're…sitting in! Both of you get out of that muck _now!_" Vladimir sprinted over to them faster than should be visible to the naked eye grasped them both by their necks where there wasn't any of the substance that Harry had mistaken for mud and helped them haul their cramping bodies out of it, leading them to a passage way that looked distinctly man-made. Pressing something on the wall, a shimmering curtain that they hadn't seen rose out of the way and revealed that it had been concealing a door, which Vladimir escorted them to and rapped on in a hurried series of taps in different parts of the door, which was made of blocks of various materials, producing a strange sort of near-music. It swung open to reveal a short woman who looked like she was from some exotic hot country judging from the color of her skin, but the bluish veins protruding from her shaved head gave Harry doubts about her mortality. Seeing the boys, she moved quickly to the side, covering her nose with a handkerchief she had produced from thin air, Harry was sure.

Vladimir moved them through more doors and past mixed furniture from around the world and throughout time, spying a plaid sofa that had a large orange cat sleeping on it resting on a priceless Indian carpet. The Vampire was muttering something under his breath the entire time, and Harry had thought he was swearing at first, but listening closer to the rhythm, he heard protective spells in multiple languages, most of which he didn't understand, being recited with the perfection of long practice.

Arriving at a room arranged like a Turkish Bath, he commanded them to strip and get in the closest tub, and for god's sake be quick about it! Cedric's face was red but he complied at last, seeing that Harry had already settled himself in a tub and seemed to be trying to get away from the strange man as he reached for his arm.

"Harry, let me see it!"

"Only if you promise not be mad." Harry muttered, slipping lower in the water and using the arm he could still feel to scrub the muck out of his hair. Vladimir sighed and ran a hand through his own hair, tying it back with a Muggle elastic band that had been around his bare wrist.

"Okay, no lectures or yelling. Now show me your arm, please." Harry used his other arm to lift it up, struggling because it was getting very heavy.

"Holy shit." Cedric whispered, happening to choose that moment to look away from where he was scrubbing his leg with a rag. He scrubbed a bit too hard by accident, opening a scrape on his shin from where he had tripped over a vine wearing a black ribbon early into the race…a vine he had later seen wrapped rather affectionately around Harry. While he was thinking about whether or not Harry had been behind the sabotaging of the other Champions, a stream of the muck that was a sickly shade of brown with streaks and swirls of yellow and green and purple flecks slid down his exposed leg and entered the cut without him noticing. When it began to sting and his bones felt like they were melting, looked down and saw his skin turning a shade of reddish purple that he had never seen before. The pain sky-rocketed suddenly, and he moaned, curling into a fetal position and grabbing his limb. Clawing at the skin to try and make the pain go away, his thrashing caught Vladimir's fascinated exploration of the bizarre effect the poison was having on Harry's arm and his eyes dilated in panic when he saw the usual effect of the poison occurring in the other boy.

"Don't look, Harry." He murmured, already kneeling on the tiled floor beside the other boy and laying his hand on the wound while calling the poison out. It responded a little and he allowed himself to hope. But then the excess that had been floating in clumps on the surface of the water swirled together and entered the wound before Vladimir could stop them. His skin became paler, if possible, and he knew that there was no way he could stop it as the rest of the stuff still clinging to his skin seemed to slink into the now-gaping hole in Cedric's leg. The boy had passed out and Vladimir knew that he could still feel the pain. Since he couldn't stand the thought of seeing someone so young die in such a painful way, he made sure Harry was still steadfastly staring down at his hands, cheeks gleaming with what could either be bath water or tears, before he pressed his fingers into the pressure points that would stop the boy's heart in his chest.

Cedric's body slumped, no longer tense with pain and his features relaxed instead of freezing as they usually did in death. Harry was looking now, eyes on the other boy's face as blood seeped out of under his eyelids, the corners of his mouth, his nose, and his ears. The hand that had been gripping the side of the tub was lax, and the blood from under his fingernails mixed with a clearer version of the poison dripped onto the tile floor and Harry forced himself to look away, noticing that the poison that had entered his system a while ago was staying put, seeming to be fighting with his blood, which was apparently winning because a little bit of the poison would drip out every couple seconds. Yet another thing about his body he hadn't known.

The realization that Cedric was dead now and how this would affect everyone he knew hit home and Harry slipped low in the dirty water until only his closed eyes were visible. Vladimir left the side of the body and soaked himself by crawling into the sizable tub and holding Harry to his chest.

They stayed like that until Harry's skin was wrinkled and soft like a raisin, and then stayed longer because neither of them were ready to leave.

--

End chapter 79

My momma thinks something is wrong with me because I am depressed now. Writing death scenes really does something to you… (cries)

Please review anyway and tell me what you thought.


	80. Chapter 80

CHAPTER 80

Dressing silently in a pair of loose trousers and a shirt with a large brownish red stain down the side that he really didn't want to know how it got there, Harry ran his fingers through his towel-dried hair and wondered what he was going to say when he reversed the Trophy to land him back in the maze. It was 4 in the morning (and he was _so _tired but couldn't dare to sleep now), so who knew what the crowds were thinking by now. Probably something along getting their money back and possibly having the prize Galleons divided amongst them since there was nobody in sound mind to receive them.

He resigned himself to hopelessness, eyes straying to Cedric's half-eaten corpse unwillingly. He shuddered, looking down at his arm, which was healing nicely with a clean bandage on it and wondered how he managed that for the hundredth time. He had asked Vladimir, but the Vampire had been silent and refused to meet his eyes while he drained the tubs and removed the poison from Cedric before they ate all of him.

Leaving the room he had been dressing in after slipping his feet, barefoot, into his boots and lacing them, he ran the tips of his fingers along the wall hangings as he went, pausing to trace certain more interesting designs every few feet. Reaching the entrance hall where the woman was knitting an afghan, he saw the trophy, cleaned of all traces of the poison, waiting for him.

Vladimir appeared in the doorway of another room with Cedric's remains, which had been glamoured to look like he had been mauled by some strange Creature and sealed that way against any detecting charms, and set them beside the trophy. Harry looked into his dead friend's eyes as he wrapped an arm around his waist and held tight so he wouldn't lose him in the spinning whirlwind that the Portkey would create.

He had reached out and his fingers were centimeters from the surface of the trophy when Vladimir knelt down behind him, cupped his head, and kissed the crown of it.

"Feel free to write anytime, Harry. Broni and I miss you very much."

"I will." Harry whispered, suddenly being forced to hold back some kind of emotional wave. He closed his fingers over the handle and allowed himself to be pulled away by it, landing with a soft thump on the long grass of the empty Quidditch Pitch. He felt a sharp pain in his left leg, which he seemed to have landed oddly on. The Maze loomed behind him, the rustling of the leaves in the early morning air soothing him into sleep. His eyes closed and he rested his head unwittingly on Cedric's shoulder, drifting off into a deep slumber.

Two patrolling aurors discovered him an hour later in their search rounds and floated both of the boys and the Trophy to the Hospital Wing where the Headmaster was questioning the other two Champions, both of whom were being stubbornly silent about what exactly had occurred in the Maze.

--

Warm spring sunlight poured into the Hospital Wing, perhaps too bright for comfort as it glared powerfully off of the white walls and into the eyes of the three sleeping students, waking them slowly. Viktor was the first to sit up slowly, hand raised before his eyes as a shield. He looked to his right and saw Fleur still curled into the protective little ball she had been in when the medi-wizards had found her in the Maze, her shoulder blades jutting out from the thin white cotton of the pajamas she had been magicked into after refusing to uncurl herself.

Looking to his left, he stared when he saw Harry lying on his side, facing him, and a fresh bandage wrapped around his arm and a thick cast with magical currents running through it on his left leg as it stretched out under the sheets. Green eyes blinked blearily, sliding open bit by bit and leaned on his injured arm by accident to try and sit up. Giving a little yelp, he fell face-down onto the sheets.

Viktor suddenly noticed that Cedric was nowhere to be seen. Judging from what he had seen in Harry's eyes, their dear friend had been taken from them forever. Before he could work out the words that would be vague enough for him to ask what had happened, Madam Pomfrey came bustling in and made a bee-line for Harry, nodding to him along the way as she busied herself with replacing the cast on Harry's leg.

Viktor caught a glimpse of purple bruises and cracked skin that oozed something strange which evoked dim memories of nightmares. He shivered and turned away to catch Fleur staring steadily at him with pale eyes. Her lips quirked, though, so he relaxed and gave her a little smirk in return, as unused to such friendly facial expressions.

They heard Harry moan in pain behind them and winced in sympathy. God knows what that boy had been through last night.

--

Narcissa cuddled her daughter's fragile face against her bosom, supporting her legs with her other hand as she moved through the house to her favorite sun room, the one they kept the new orchids in. Seating herself on the settee set up in a patch of bright sunlight from a glass dome above their heads, she smoothed her fingers repeatedly through the feather-soft blond curls of the daughter that had been so rudely snatched from her years ago.

Her younger daughter opened the door to the room quietly, slipping inside and closing it behind her before moving to the couch and settling herself on it and beside her mother. Sophie was already eight years old, and Narcissa quelled the sadness that welled up inside her when she realized that in 3 short years her 4th child would go to Hogwarts, and come home with stories of new little friends, food, professors who were nice and professors who were not. She kissed her youngest on the head and blue eyes sparkled up at her from under pale lashes as Sophie grinned, running her blunt needle through the proper places on her project so the needlepoint of a monkey playing with bees would form nicely. She finished a flower in the border, biting off the thread with her baby teeth and threading her needle with a new color for the stem.

All was peaceful, the soft sounds of a fountain through the open windows behind the settee creating a soothing noise for older daughter, keeping her calm even as the pain racked through the seams that held her delicate bones and flesh together flashed white behind her closed eyes.

Malfoys do not show pain, so she kept her face round face expressionless and merely lay limply in her mummy's arms. The dress she was wearing today was especially soft because of how sensitive her skin had gotten with her illness, and she officially named it her favorite. Maybe mother would let her wear it at her sixth birthday party?

A house elf appeared outside the door and knocked politely.

"Come in." Narcissa said softly, pressing a kiss to Colette's forehead and sitting up straighter in case the Elf wasn't alone. It entered, bowed, and said, "Mrs. Parkinson and her infant Bryony have arrived, mistress. Should I tell them you are indisposed?"

"No, I was expecting her. Bring some tea after you show her in, will you?"

"Yes, mistress." It bowed again and disappeared with a loud crack that made Colette jump a little in her mother's embrace. Narcissa held her tighter and began to ask Sophie questions about her project and who it was for.

--

End chapter 80

In case any of you guys forgot, the Malfoys have 4 children : Julius (15), Draco (14), Colette (5), and Sophie (8). Colette was sliced into pieces by Death Eaters and delivered to her parents in a box to make them convert to the Dark Lord. Mammon brought Colette back to life for a price which is yet to be revealed (cue mysterious Indian music). You guys probably still remembered that, but in case anybody forgot…that was just a friendly review.

And speaking of reviews (sends significant look at button), you guys have been incredible! I was hoping for 10 for the whole series, and you have sent me into the hundreds! Love and peace to all of you who have made that possible 


	81. Chapter 81

A/N: Gah, sorry yesterday's chapter kind of sucked. Can't believe I had the nerve to post that  forgive your wayward and sleep-deprived author, please?

CHAPTER 81

Harry was limping slightly when he exited the Hospital Wing, a full week before Madam Pomfrey was going to let him out but she wasn't around so he didn't really feel obligated to follow that particular rule. It was during the first period of classes, so nobody would see him wandering around and send him back like last time.

Catching sight of a tall redhead and a Hufflepuff coming down the opposite end of the hall, he ducked behind a statue, hoping that they hadn't seen him (it would be really hard to explain why he was behind a statue for no apparent reason). They came closer and Harry saw that it was the oldest Weasley boy, who always seemed to be in the area these days, and Edmund. They seemed to be arguing but trying to hide it, and he caught the words 'Boggart' 'rights' and 'Umbridge'. He sincerely hoped they weren't referring to the High Inquisitor, since what he had heard wasn't favorable and he had been hoping that they were just rumors because she was on the alumnus of professors for next year in the Headmaster's records. Of course, he had been paying more attention to the excessive amount of school funding that went to candy factories and outlets, so he had missed which role the Inquisitor was going to be filling. It would probably be the DADA since he had overheard McGonagall gossiping with Sinistra about some sort of massive argument the two had gotten into over morals and human free will of actions.

They had walked around a corner and were now out of sight. He was about to continue on his way to the Slytherin dorms to see Asmodeus and feed his dragon (haha, pun) when he heard a muffled thump and some giggling before silence. Eyebrows high, he backtracked and peeped around the corner to see Edmund mock-struggling and bill stifling his laughter with his…mouth. And it didn't look like this was the first time. Deciding that he could afford to be evil since Bill had watched him and Asmodeus that one day in the library when they'd gotten careless, he cleared his throat, unable to resist grinning ear-to-ear when they jumped apart quickly, faces redder than Bill's long hair.

"My, my, my! What do we have here?" Harry asked, unable to hide the hint of laughter in his voice even though he had wiped the smile off of his face. Bill seemed to realize that he was playing around and wrapped an arm tightly around Edmund's waist, smiling down at him to let him know that Harry really didn't mind.

"Um, hi, Harry." Edmund murmured, burying his face in Bill's shoulder to try and make the blushing go away.

"Hi guys." Harry chirped. Bill sniggered and Harry punched him in the arm. "So, when did you two happen?"

"Last week." Edmund promptly replying, removing the hand wandering towards his arse with a scowl to the pervert; Bill pouted and his boyfriend ignored him in favor of explaining to his first crush that the redhead had courted him slowly for a couple of months, gotten impatient, and molested him in the middle of the Forbidden Forest at 3 in the morning after luring him out there with some story about a Centaur clan.

Harry glared at Bill. "Hey, what if he didn't _want _you to snog him?" Bill looked taken aback, glanced at Edmund, who was also scowling now that Harry had winked at him.

"Admit it. You didn't think about that, did you?"

"But-but-"

"No buts!" Harry shrieked suddenly, bursting into hysterical laughter a second later, beating his fist against the wall beside his head as he sank to his knees when his knees gave out from the force of it. Edmund joined him, resting his forehead on Bill's chest as his shoulders shook in mirth and great peals of laughter echoed down the hall.

"I've…I've been had by a couple of school boys." Bill muttered, seemingly not able to believe how gullible he had become.

Finally calming down, Harry wiped the moisture from the corners of his eyes, happened to catch Bill's open-mouthed look, and broke down again, clutching his ribs.

"This isn't that funny, guys." Bill muttered mutinously, scowling at the portrait of a tittering young girl in a white frock and pigtails.

"Oh yes it is." Harry chuckled, having recovered himself. Edmund was still snickering, the sound becoming muffled when Bill pressed his face into the thick fabric of his robe for 'revenge'.

"Yeah!" Edmund piped up, still managing to be heard despite the cloak. Bill's only reply to that was a smack upside the head.

"I need to go now, guys, but you'll have fun without me, I'm sure." And with a final wink and flick of his tongue, which Bill returned, Harry disappeared back around the corner and made his way to the side of the Castle where the dungeons could be accessed.

--

Entering his room quietly, he headed straight for the shower after seizing his things. He was rinsing the shampoo out of his hair when he heard the door to the bathroom open. Assuming it was one of his dorm mates using the loo in between classes, he ignored it and continued to move his fingers through his hair, not processing at first that there was more than one set doing so. When he did, his eyes widened and he turned his head so quickly that his neck cracked. Asmodeus grinned, all teeth, and bent his neck to align his face with Harry's so he could kiss him hard in a way that clearly proclaimed who Harry belonged to. Placing his hands over those cupping face, Harry's tilted his head to accommodate his tongue, smiling into it and moving his hands to grip Asmodeus' shoulders.

When they broke it for Harry to breathe, he pressed their foreheads together and quietly asked why he hadn't come to see him in the hospital wing.

"I wanted to, but I just got back an hour ago and went there but you were gone. So I came here looking for you."

"Where were you?"

"Lucifer wanted me to deliver some stuff for Metatron to this human who recently started working for us as a surveyor."

"Oh." That was more information than Asmodeus had ever given him. "Is Metatron the Voice of God?"

A stream of soap ran into his eye and they were distracted for a minute while they got it out, Harry biting his lip when it got into a little scratch on his eyelid to hold in a girly noise. Seeing that, Asmodeus kissed him again once he had gotten all the soap out and from his hair as well.

"Love you." Harry whispered, standing on his toes to kiss his cheek.

"I love you too, sweet cheeks." Harry pinched his arm for that pet name "And to answer your question, yeah, he is. You Humans, especially the Catholics, seem to have gotten a hold of most of our names and job descriptions."

"Well, maybe some of those priests knew some you guys?"

"Wouldn't be too surprised, because I know for sure that D was seeing this nun for her entire life time, which he made really long because he didn't want to lose her. Of course, she eventually had to go, and I don't think he has ever recovered from that. And I'm sure you have heard the Catholic stories about saints getting tempted by sexy ladies in the wilderness. The girls get feisty after a while if they don't get enough attention from us, you see, and they are always the first to resort to Humans. Well, technically that was the Grigori, but they aren't very important in the grand scheme of things."

"Aww, poor Grigori." Harry stuck out his lower lip and batted his wet eyelashes. Asmodeus sniggered and uncapped the conditioner to pour some on Harry's head. Replacing it on the shelf, he moved his fingers through his hair to work it through while Harry remained silent, too busy staring at his boyfriend dripping water…and he didn't seem to be wearing any clothes. Funny because he never really got this distracted when his dorm mates managed to drag their butts out of bed early enough to take one while he was in it.

Asmodeus grinned and moved closer, grasping Harry's shoulder and turning him around to face the wall while he glued himself to his back and finished getting the rest of the conditioner out of his hair, fully aware of the blush on Harry's normally pallid cheeks (the boy really needed to get more sunlight. Maybe he could convince him to research in the more windowed areas of the library?).

Shifting himself, he wrapped his arms around his hips and swayed them slightly while resting his head on top of Harry's. if he was going to make any sort of progress in the physical aspect of their relationship, he needed to get Harry comfortable with being around him in such vulnerable state.

--

The Manor was quiet while Colette was sleeping and Sophie ran around outside chasing the swans. It was too quiet, but Narcissa couldn't go outside because this was the designated time of day for her youngest daughter to become accustomed to being alone. It had been a requirement of a doctor who had come to see to the cause of a mild case of hysteria in Sophie's psyche. Apparently her daughter needed to learn how to become more independent, and spending time alone would help that.

Smoothing a hand through her hair, she wandered aimlessly through the shelves of the massive library the Malfoy's had accumulated over the years, fingers skimming titles of books she had read multiple times, some she had only ever glanced at, some that had to be concealed hastily but well should the Ministry decide to pay them another of their unannounced and invasive visits.

Her train slid behind her, the silk making whispering noises as it moved against the wood of the floor that had been polished until it gleamed redder than when the trees from whence it was made had first been cut down. That was the most interesting thing she had first noticed, years ago when she had been a young girl and first invited to one of Abraxas Malfoy's many parties. She had been 7 years old and used to the shifting shadows and ever-present dust of her own family's various dwellings, steeped in centuries-old artifacts and ancient spellwork cast to protect the Most Noble House of Black. But the Malfoy's…it had glowed and shone and almost dared her to touch it. Not unlike the gleaming shells of beetles, the kind you could never seem to really kill. Considering the family history of her husband, the analogy wasn't too far from the mark. She herself had lived through 3 different assassination attempts by the Dark Lord's minions before they had been forcibly persuaded to join him.

Reaching out a silk-clad arm to stroke the books again, her fingers met skin instead. Head snapping to the side and wand at the ready, she stared down the intruder, who was revealed to be a woman with brilliant red hair pulled up in a high ponytail that reached to her waist in thick locks, the numerous beads on her large hoop earrings almost distracting her from the glowing blue eyes tinged with…yellow? She couldn't quite tell with the way the sunlight that poured in the windows glinted off of her stylish glasses.

"Who are you and how did you get in here?" Years of marriage to Lucius had allowed her to pick up his nuances of speech, creating a unique and crisp accent that made one think of ice bergs untouched and immortal in the lands where not even sorcerers dared to travel.

The strange woman ignored the wand aimed at her and extended a hand in a brisk way, rattling off, "I am Darlene, and I work as a secretary at St. Mungo's Hospital. I was made aware of an odd medical case that we haven't seen in a couple hundred years. Would you mind if I examined your previously-deceased oldest daughter? I promise that this will be brief, painless, and free of charge. I have simply been asked to write a report for the Ministry of Dark magic and possibly obtain the name of the particular method and Necromancer you hired."

Narcissa's eyes widened and she looked fearfully around, wondering how many others this woman had with her to speak so boldly while being held at wand-point, and about such things that had been kept carefully secret. Looking back into the blue ones of Darlene, she saw that the redhead had raised an eyebrow and somehow summoned a clipboard. She clicked her Muggle pen on and scribbled something down, her long nails painted red looking strangely menacing when they clicked the pen closed.

"If this is a bad time, Mrs. Malfoy, feel free to say so and I will return at the time you specify." Her fingers were poised over the top of the pen, eyes expectant and forceful.

"I, ah, well; Colette is sleeping at the moment. Will that disrupt your examination?"

"Not at all, not at all, ma'am, lead the way!" She made a grand gesture with her arm, dress shirt perfectly pressed and stain-free, the white of the fabric seeming to contain light. Narcissa repeatedly asked herself why she was agreeing to this even as she led Darlene to her daughter's bedroom, and suddenly realized that she still didn't know how the strangely beautiful woman had gotten into the heavily warded area.

"Not to be rude, miss, but how did you say you got in?"

Darlene, who was strolling beside her, polished black pumps clicking on the wood floors, turned her head and sent her a smile that made shivers go through her nervous system. "I asked the wards to let me in and they deemed me harmless enough to do so."

She had heard of such things happening, but had never actually believed the stories. How do you communicate with a spell? Does this mean spells have consciousnesses? Or maybe Magic itself is one big-

"Ma'am, is this the room?" they had stopped in front of Colette's bedroom, and Narcissa could only nod.

"I'll only be a moment." Darlene eased the door open silently and closed it behind her in a wordless display that she wanted to test Colette alone. She re-appeared exactly 30 seconds later, giving her a polite smile while scrawling something rapidly on her clipboard. "Now, are you willing to tell me the procedure? If you don't know or had the Necromancer do the entire ceremony alone, simply give me their name and I will arrange a meeting with them."

"Oh, um, I think the man's name is Mammon. And he did the ritual in some other location to prevent the staining of our signatures."

"Thank you. This has been most informative, and I will inform you of any cures we construct for Colette, alright?"

"C-cures?" was this possible?

"Yes, her bone structure wasn't meant to progress so far. You see, she was actually supposed to die two months after the murder in an automobile accident that would have snapped her neck and spine in 23 places. Not to mention fractures in the legs and right wrist. However, she has been revived and this information was overlooked because Human Records cannot predict the movements of either D or Fate. So I will personally prepare some things for her as soon as possible, alright?"

"Oh, thank you!"

"Just doing my job, Ma'am. I'll see myself out, thank you." She moved past Narcissa, throwing a "Have a nice day." Over her shoulder as she disappeared like a mirage in the light of one of the many windows that lined the south wing of the mansion.

Narcissa sagged against the wall, finally allowing herself to hope.

--

End chapter 81


	82. Chapter 82

CHAPTER 82

There was a distinct air of the manic hanging over the Slytherin quarters, and Harry watched his house mates rush around trying to get some last-minute packing in with an amused smile, Blaise and Millicent playing a quiet game of poker some feet away on a patch of clean carpet, something that was truly a miracle in a House where they believed in eating what they liked, when they were hungry, and anywhere convenient. Draco came down the stairs of the girl's dormitory, having been suckered into carrying Pansy's trunk downstairs for her. He set it by the door where the House Elves would collect them and put them on the train for them, a new service the Headmaster had decided to announce last minute at dinner the night before. Most of the Green students had hurriedly re-packed and un-packed anything suspicious because they weren't stupid enough to think that the 'favor' was anything less than an excuse to search the trunks before loading them.

Pansy settled herself partially on Draco when he made Harry move over so they could both fit on the wide arm chair with him. He knew they were doing this to be annoying because there was a perfectly serviceable sofa a few inches away. The blonde's arm somehow ended up around Harry's shoulders and the brunette glared at him when he pulled on his hair a little by accident. "Sorry." Draco muttered, moving around and pulling on Harry's hair once more before he got comfortable, Harry now sitting the exact same way as Pansy only on his other side and looking a hell of a lot less happy about it.

"Now that you've quite finished invading my personal space-" Pansy giggled and he frowned at her imperiously, "Was there something you wanted?"

"Nope. Just going to miss you this summer, is all. Are you _sure _you can't come visit?" Draco's grey eyes pleaded with him to make his answer different than it had been for the past week, but it wasn't for Harry to decide.

He slowly shook his head and Draco sagged, his arm tightening around Harry's shoulders. "Dammit, I really want to introduce you to my sisters…"

"Sisters? As in, plural?" Harry's eyebrows were raised and a hint of a smirk was tugging at his lips as he watched his friend realize his slip-up.

"Um, well…I…"

"Have two sisters, one of whom was supposed to be dead but was mysteriously re-instated at your house sometime in the past 2 years?"

"Hey! How did you know that?" Draco asked, looking warily around to make sure that none of his unfriendly house mates were paying any attention to them. Pansy moved closer, pressing her nose to his ribs and inhaling what he knew would be this annoying flowery smell his mother insisted the House Elves impart onto his clothes. At least his girlfriend liked it.

"I have my sources."

"Oh yeah? What kind of sources?"

"The kind that know everything you've ever wanted to know and aren't finicky about imparting it to a willing listener." Actually, he had overheard Levi whispering about it to Asmodeus while they thought he was sleeping 3 days ago, their voices making them sound like Hedwig when she was excited about catching a fat spider for dinner or something.

"I think I should meet these sources of your's sometime." Draco's eyes were the harsh stone gray that his father's always became when someone tried to pull a fast one and he retaliated. "They seem to know a little more than they ought."

"Yeah, well, when you live as long as they have, and have ears in innocuous places, you're bound to hear some things not meant for other listeners."

"So you have a ring of old people who are in positions of power? Possibly ex-spies?" The Common Room had drained of most of its inhabitants while the students went out to say good bye to the Castle, Professors, friends in other houses, or just to get something to eat. Even Pansy had left, leaving Millicent as the only other student beside them in the Common Room, and she was fixated on her game of solitaire.

Harry's laughter echoed around them as he suddenly thought of his boyfriend as a hunched over old man wearing a battered military uniform and whispering political secrets in his ear. Draco looked taken aback, his grown-up façade melting completely when Harry beat his fist against the arm of the chair, head thrown back.

"Haha, oh my god!" Harry burst out suddenly, grabbing Draco by the shoulders. "I can not believe you thought that I…that I…bahahaha!" Seeing his friend in hysterics brought to mind the neurological discovery that not getting enough sleep could cause behavior disorders. Now that he thought about it, Harry was always still awake when he fell asleep and the first one awake in the morning.

He feeling a little miffed when Harry continued to laugh, tears tracking down his cheeks. Hell, even the boy's weird pet cat looked like it was laughing at him (when did that thing get down here? One minute it wasn't there, the next it was like some kind of Alice in Wonderland character). "What was I supposed to think? You said old!"

"I know, I know, but they don't _look _old and you made me think of them as old people…and now I don't even know why that was funny." Harry began to pick at the scabbed and scarred skin of his finger tips without seeming to realize it, eyes turned introspective. Glancing at the clock, Draco leaped off the chair as if burned, unintentionally dragging Harry with him because their robes had somehow gotten tangled. There was no sign of Millicent, and now Harry knew why. The train was going to leave in five minutes!

They raced through the Castle, using every short cut possible until they skidded out onto the emerald-green grass and down the muddy path (was it ever dry?) to the train, getting on board just as the wards began to count and catalogue the students to make sure they were all there.

"Whew, we made it!" Draco exclaimed, taking a deep drink of the metal flask Harry had dug out of his bag, his cat curled around his shoulders like a scarf and purring louder than the engine. Coughing on whatever he had gulped down, he asked what it was.

"Oh, that? I think, by now, it's a mixture of Vodka, lemonade, and some sugar that Luna decided to sprinkle in a couple of days ago."

"Oh." Draco had forgotten about his friend's alcohol problem.

"Do you want to find a compartment?"

"Yeah, and maybe you can tell me some stuff about those sources of your's"

"I don't think so." Harry wagged a finger in his face, taking a long draw of the flask and apparently finishing it off. "Aww…No more."

--

The Train station was packed with magical and Muggle families, the wizards trying to pass themselves off as normal and usually failing miserably. It would explain why a woman wearing a sack dress from the 20s was getting funny looks.

Sitting on the only dry bench, since it had apparently rained an hour earlier, he leaned his head back against the brick wall it was leaning against, running his bleeding fingers through Raito's fur. He considered reading the book on Hysteria he had purchased second-hand from a Muggle-born Ravenclaw, but his eyes hurt a little so he decided not to.

A drop of water fell on his nose and slid down into his mouth. Sighing, he wondered how long he would have to wait this time for his guardians to show. Another year had ended so fast, he was slightly scared to think that maybe the rest of his life would just be a blur when he tried to look back on it, and considering who he knew he might not even live too long.

--

End chapter 82 and Of Sugar and Sulphur.

The sequel to this will be up and running soon. Stay tuned!


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